Colour Sergeant 1831

Dubois Drahonet painted this from life using Alexander McDonald as a model. The sergeant's coat is of better quality than the privates and has gold lace covering the front of his collar matched by gold lace on the cuff flaps and coat tails. His collar also has a small silver embroidered star badge. Other ranks had blue collars but there is a glimpse of red behind the gold which suggests that, like the officers, the sergeants collar was red. The epaulettes are gold but the fringes are not bullion like those of the officers. His rank badges are worn on both sleeves and are three gold lace chevrons on blue cloth with the Colour badge superimposed. It was the job of Colour sergeants to escort the ensign carrying the Colours.
His bearskin has a brass badge at the front which we cannot see. It consists of thistles surmounted by a crown. The tassels on the right side are gold, and he has a brass chin-chain. The white trousers show that he is in summer uniform. The white belts hold a sword on the left and a pouch on the right. Sergeants carried a light infantry style carbine which was shorter than the muskets carried by the rank and file.

Uniforms | Regimental Details