Band and Drums 1856

The post-1855 drawing by Ebsworth shows men of the 7th DG wearing the new tunics. The bandsmen have brass shoulder scales that were discontinued for the rest of the regiment, and have white plumes on their helmets. Two of the men, however, are not bandsmen; the one holding the Standard and a man on the right with his back half turned towards us. They have black helmet plumes, and yellow-edged black velvet shoulder straps with VII DG embroidered in yellow.
The latter man is talking to the Farrier-Major who wears a dark blue stable jacket. This is decorated with gold lace on the black velvet cuffs, collar and shoulder straps. As can be seen by the sergeant standing on the extreme right, the normal stable jacket colour was scarlet. We must not jump to the conclusion that the farriers wore dark blue tunics in review order as they do in the Household Cavalry. A farrier can be seen in the background of the Sergeant-Major 1855 tending to a horse's hoof, and he has a scarlet tunic with a farrier's badge on the sleeve.
The drumhorse is now grey whereas in the early 1850s it was black. The banners on the drums are again black velvet with a double row of gold lace around the edges. The royal arms, with coronet, now has the regimental title below on a scroll. There are two drummers on the left of the picture wearing stable dress. This has black piping along the seams as does the tunic of the bandsman in the middle adjusting the drumhorse banners. The forage caps worn by the drummers have yellow braid figuring on the top and a decorative yellow cap-band.

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