Officers and Other Ranks 1903

The mounted men of this group include an officer and private in review order with a trumpeter behind them. The main points of interest in this Simkin painting are the officer standing on the left and the senior NCO in the middle. The officer has the new style frock coat which has two rows of gilt buttons down the front instead of rows of black mohair lace. His waistbelt looks dark with pale edges but may well be the gold-laced belt worn in dress uniform. His peaked forage cap is at this stage very much the 20th century cap, based on the German style. The senior NCO wears the other ranks' version of the forage cap which is the peakless Broderick cap. The men were supposed to wear this for walking out but they were so unhappy with it that most preferred to stay in barracks. It only lasted a few years, from 1902 to 1905. He has four stripes on his sleeve which is puzzling because sergeants only wore three stripes, while ranks above that either had four inverted stripes on their forearm, or a crown.

Regimental details | Uniforms