1838 Officer with Charger

This is an officer of the 17th Lancers with his charger and men in the background. It is from the year 1838 and he is in full dress. When William IV came to the throne in 1830, he ordered that the army should all wear red jackets. Up til then, the light dragoons, since 1784, had worn blue, so the 17th wore red jackets only between 1830 and 1840. Victoria came to the throne in 1837, but wasn't as quick off the mark to make changes in army uniform as Uncle William, so the change back to blue didn't take place til 1840. The officer also has a moustache which was banned by William. The saddle- cloth (shabracque) has the motto with crossed lances and Queen Victoria's cypher. The officer wears gauntlets. These were not worn before 1833, but remained a feature of lancer uniform for the next hundred years or so. He also has no sabretache, they were discontinued in 1830. The men in the background are armed with a lance, a pistol which was kept in a holster on the front of the saddle and a sword. Officers did not carry a lance, they only carried a sword and pair of pistols.

17th Lancers: Uniforms | Regimental details