Corporal and Privates 1856


These bearded veterans of the Crimea are wearing the new double-breasted tunic introduced in 1855 but not issued until the regiment's return to England. The corporal on the right has a Crimea Medal with 4 clasps and a French Medal Militaire. He also has a good conduct stripe on his right for-arm, and we can just see the badge on his collar which is an embroidered thistle, not a star as one would expect. In the case of the later tunics, only senior NCOs had a thistle badge while the other ranks had a star. It is a shame that we cannot see the badges on the collars of the privates.

When the tunic was taken into wear the bayonet was hung from a waist-belt instead of a shoulder belt, while the pouch-belt was retained. The private on the left has a waist-belt but the man in the middle still wears his old shoulder belt with the brass belt-plate. He also has a small pocket with a white flap on his tunic for his percussion caps. This man has a forage cap - with chinstrap. The man on the left is a long-serving member of the regiment as can be seen by his three good-conduct stripes. This photo gives a clear view of the bearskins which look very similar to those worn by the Scots Guards today.


Uniforms | Regimental Details


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by Stephen Luscombe