Officer and Sentry 1913

Harry Payne included fine detail in his contemporary paintings of soldiers in the years leading up to the First World War. The sentry is in dress uniform, saluting the officer walking past. The detail on his white leather waist-belt shows that the belt is in three parts connected with brass links, one of which is visible on his back. The collar badge is a White Horse without a brass scroll beneath. The shoulder straps have KINGS in brass near the shoulder. The back skirts can be seen to have false pocket flaps edged in white with two buttons at waist level and two more on each flap. The collar has a white edge along the base, although this does not agree with the paintings by Edgar Holloway and J McNeill who show a white edge along the top and front of the collar.
Holloway also differs in that the sentry in his painting wears a white ammunition pouch on the right side of the waist-belt. The blue helmet has a brass chin-chain, spike and helmet plate. The peaks back and front are edged with black leather and the peak is rounded at the front, unlike the officers who have a brass edged front peak that is pointed.
The officer’s frock-coat was re-introduced at the turn of the 20th century, after being discontinued in 1867. Two rows of 6 gilt buttons fasten the double-breasted front. The badges on each side of the collar are White Horses on a silver ground and gilt scroll beneath. The badge on his forage cap differs in that the horse is on a gilt ground. He carries his sword which is slung on white slings from a concealed webbing waist-belt under the fringed crimson sash.

Regimental Details | Uniforms