Regimental Sergeant Major, Undress c1890

The same man as in the Staff Sergeant, Undress c1887 has the top non-commissioned rank in the battalion. He is the RSM and wears an officer-style patrol jacket that has five rows of black cord frogging across the chest, and flat black silk braid around the edges and on the pointed cuff. The collar and cuffs are scarlet. His rank badge is an embroidered crown, on scarlet backing, sewn onto his right forearm. The patrol jacket for Warrant officers and officers was similar to the dress tunic apart from the fact that the dress tunic had black cord Austrian knots on the cuffs.
He has a sword which is a symbol of his elevated status. This is slung from a hidden waist-belt worn under the jacket. In his right hand is a cap which is in shadow and cannot be seen clearly. But it does appear to have a peak, which he is holding. Peaked forage caps were worn in the infantry but the rifle regiments followed the cavalry style of dress, and evidence of peaked caps worn by the KRRC is hard to find. We are grateful to Marilyn Darné of Durban RSA for providing the photos.

Uniforms | Regimental Details