Mounted Officer in Review order 1845


Henry Martens' print of the 14th Light Dragoons, published by Fore on 2 Jan 1845, must have been based on figures at the regimental depot as the bulk of the 14th was serving in India. The uniform is the blue coatee and trousers with red facings. The shako seems to be midway between the old bell-topped version of the 1830s, and the straight-sided type worn in the late 1840s. It does not have the plaited festoon as before but the cap-lines are wound around the shako and fall behind his back and around the neck. The horse furniture is of interest here as it can be compared with the later print by the same artist, published in 1851. Martens was not very careful in his drawing of the Victorian cypher but we can see that the crown is Victorian and appears on each end of the shabraque while the 1851 print has the Guelphic crown. There is only one battle honour, PENINSULA, under the cypher on the hind quarter. The bridle is quite complex, having the strap that supports the white throat plume attached by small gilt chains to the top of the bridle. He has put a gilt boss on top but this does not appear on the later print.


Regimental Details | Uniforms


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by Stephen Luscombe