Before the Colonel

The Colonel’s office was the inner sanctum of the Orderly Room. It is a minimalist office but cheered up by having its own fireplace. The green baize-covered table acts as his desk and is dignified with ornate brass bookends and a wooden organiser for headed notepaper and envelopes. There is a clock on the wall above the fireplace which carefully records the time of the interview: 11.23am. Below the clock is a framed list of the NCOs and men of the regiment and a book which may be the Army List open at the page showing officers of the 10th Hussars. In the corner of the room, on the same wall, is a shelf, too high up to be of any use. Either side of the window are a map of Ireland and a map of Great Britain, with a further map, of the local area, behind the CO’s desk. The door probably leads through to the Adjutant’s and the RSM’s offices. Between the window and the map of Ireland is a red tasselled cord which must ring a bell somewhere.
The Commanding Officer sits with a charge sheet in his gloved hand. He is Lieutenant-Colonel Manners Charles Wood who commanded the 10th Hussars from 3 Aug 1892 to 3 Aug 1896. On the left breast of his patrol jacket is a red and green medal ribbon for service in the Afghan War of 1878-80. Despite his rank he would have been called ‘Colonel’, not to be confused with the Colonel of the regiment who at that time was the Prince of Wales. Two officers stand behind him, the second-in-command, who was seen in the doorway in the previous cartoon, and the Adjutant who holds a ledger, and this time wears a pouchbelt.
T P Chapman has skillfuly drawn six soldiers in perspective, lined up before the Colonel. The three young offenders are now hatless and are flanked by their guards who are in review order. At the far end is a sergeant in stable dress with pouchbelt. His pill-box cap, just visible, has a narrower gold lace cap-band than the RSM who stands behind and to the right of the line-up. He is required to stand in the fireplace as the offenders need to be kept at least a yard away from the desk. It would have been more sensible if the desk was placed further back so that the RSM was not put in such an undignified position. The Regimental Sergeant Major is dressed in a similar way to the officers, with gold lace on his cap and trousers, but the patrol jacket does not have the collar, cuffs and hem adorned with black Astrakan fur. NCOs and Warrant Officers of the 10th wore a silver metal regimental badge of the Prince of Wales’s Plume. The RSM has this below his silver crown badge of rank. The corporal at this end of the line-up has his badge on a red cloth backing above his gold lace stripes, also backed with red cloth.

Regimental Details | 10th Hussars Cartoons 1894