Officers and Sergeant, India 1854

The artist known simply as Fairlie drew this group for publication by Ackermann on 12 Mar 1855. Fairlie produced three images, this one titled The 10th Hussars in India, Kirkee, 1854. The ‘Orderly T. S. Major’ on the left has three chevrons and a badge above. According to a Horseguards Circular Memorandum dated 22 May 1850, Regimental and Troop sergeant majors in the hussars were to have 4 chevrons, sergeants 3 chevrons and corporals two. The five regiments of hussars were also allowed to have the embroidered crown as a regimental NCO’s badge. Additionally the 8th were allowed the Harp and the 10th allowed the Prince of Wales plume. There does not appear to be a crown, only the plume. So Fairlie was wrong to give this sergeant the rank of TSM and wrong to omit the crown. Up until 1867 the NCOs had an embroidered plume badge, and after that date they had a silver metal badge. He wears stable dress and peakless forage cap that has a slim chin strap. His stable jacket has brass buttons down the front, worsted lace on the sleeves and collar, and yellow cord shoulder straps. His white pouch-belt has a black pouch and a spring clip for the carbine.
The officer in Review Order wears the home service dress uniform and the special India pattern shako. The details are indistinct so we cannot tell which of the two patterns of cap he has, the embroidered gold circles, or the broad lace.
The other mounted officer is the ‘Orderly Officer’ wearing stable dress, with his cap protected by a white cotton cover. The stable jacket is a plain waist-length jacket with gold cord edging and cuff and back seam ornaments. This is the first indication that the 10th Hussars had discontinued the special pattern stable dress with five rows of gimp button loops across the chest. The undress horse furniture does not have the leopard skin saddle cover. He has a plain black leather sabretache which did not have a PoW plume badge until c1875. He does, however, wear the dress pouch-belt.
The standing figure on the right is an officer in ‘Evening Stable Dress’. This order of dress consists of a blue frock coat with black flat braid and olivets, and a ‘rolling collar’. This style was worn by the 7th 10th and 15th Hussars while the 8th and 11th had ‘stand-up’ collars. The coat is worn open with a white waistcoat and black cravat. His forage cap is without a peak and has a gold cap band. All three officers have double gold lace stripes down the outside of the trousers. They do not have the leather booted bottoms that became part of mounted dress during and after the Crimean War.

Regimental Details | Uniforms