Officer in Full Dress, c1860

These two photos are of the same officer who we are unable to identify. From the amount of gold decoration on his sleeve he would appear to be a senior officer, possibly the commanding officer. His upper garment is a yellow alkalak. It was laid down in the 1863 dress regulations that in the first eight regiments of Irregular cavalry the officers were to wear the alkalak the same as the Indian officers. For the other eleven regiments, the officers were required to wear a tunic. These photographs were taken at a time when yellow came out as a dark colour. The photo of this officer mounted shows a shabraque covering the saddle and flanks. The dress regulations say that these should be of the facing colour of the regiment, which in this case is black. It is edged in gold and decorated with a 1 and BIC (Bengal Irregular Cavalry).

Uniforms | Regimental History