Sergeants, 1st Battalion 1863

The 1st Battalion were stationed at Sheffield in 1863 where this interesting group was photographed. Drum Major Byrne is in the centre of the group, showing his large rank badge of four gold chevrons and drum badge. He is in dress uniform, and the other sergeants wear either dress uniform or undress waist-length shell jackets. There are 1st Class Staff Sergeants with white edging to their shell jackets and gold shoulder cords, although 3 of them have cloth shoulder straps. Second Class Staff Sergeants have simpler jackets. All the shell jackets are scarlet with blue collar, shoulder straps and cuffs.
The sergeants in dress tunics have large white chevrons, except for the Colour Sergeants who have a single white chevron and embroidered flag, crown and crossed swords. The 1st Class Staff Sergeants are also distinguished by their undress forage caps which are in a similar style to the officers, having a red cap-band and a peak. The two most senior NCOs are sitting in the middle with four gold stripes, point upwards, on their right sleeve. They have badges above the stripes which look like crowns, one would be the Regimental Sergeant Major and the other the Quartermaster Sergeant. Three other 1st Class Staff Sergeants are in the group, having three stripes point upwards. They are the ones without gold shoulder cords. The sergeant standing on the right wears his sword, slung from a white leather waist-belt.
The forage caps have number 8 badges on the front, embroidered for the 1st Class sergeants and brass for the others. One sergeant, at the back is a musician, wearing a white shell jacket with a blue collar and cuffs. His forage cap has a blue and white diamond shape pattern cap-band, with a White Horse badge on the front. The other peakless forage caps are plain dark blue with a tourie or bobble on the top.

Regimental Details | Uniforms