Other Ranks 1803-1820

This picture depicts the Yorkshire Hussars but not in one particular moment in time, the figures represent three different periods. Those on the left of the painting show the early period in 1803 when they were titled The Northern Regiment of West Riding Yeomanry. The uniform then was a red jacket with yellow facings and a light dragoon helmet. The private on a horse is in review order with buff leather breeches while another private stands with his back to us wearing blue overalls. Another private is talking to the mounted man and is in watering order with a blue folding cap, white stable jacket with yellow collar and cuffs. There is a trumpeter standing the other side of the horse, with a white jacket that is braided with yellow and black cord. He has a bearskin cap that is similar to the grenadier caps worn in the infantry but has a white over red plume on the left side. A similar cap is worn by the farrier in the foreground but without the plume. He has a blue jacket with white braid and yellow facings. The men in the middle of the picture are of the 1817 period, in which year the shako was adopted instead of the light dragoon cap. For officers and men it was a black shako but for the musicians and trumpeters it was red. The front of the skako had a white rose badge and a short white-over-red plume. The jackets remained red faced with yellow but the overalls were now grey. The men had a plain black sabretache and black leather pouch on a white leather pouch-belt. The trumpeter had a white jacket with yellow facings and red cord across the chest, worn with a red and white barrel-sash. The shabraque on the horse was blue with rounded corners edged in white and decorated with a white embroidered rose. On the right of this group is a man in undress, with red stable jacket faced yellow, blue and white cap, and white summer overalls. The group on the right are of the 1820 period. The shako was pale blue from this date, for all ranks except the trumpeter who was still in a red shako. The plume was tall and black. In this year the regiment was still in the process of converting to hussars and all ranks were required to have a pelisse. This was red with 7 rows of white cord across the chest. For the men, their old stable jackets were adapted, the yellow facings being covered up by black 'shag'. The trumpeter had a white pelisse with red cord. The red jacket had red facings. The right hand figure is wearing his pelisse as a jacket and has the blue and white undress cap, and white summer trousers. He is unarmed and is probably in walking-out order. The winter overalls were pale grey blue at this stage. The horse bridle has cross-straps on the nose, this was the style worn in hussar regiments. The shabraque, still blue, had a pointed corner on the rear part.