Officer, Review Order c1900

The scarlet dress tunic has regimental facings and gold lace and buttons. The Dress Regulations of 1900 tell us that the rank of second lieutenant carried no badge. This young officer has no visible rank badge on his gold shoulder cords. The single Austrian knot on the cuff formed from round-back gold cord and Russia braid denotes junior rank. Captains had a double knot and majors and above had a triple knot. In 1902 this was changed to a single knot for all officer ranks. The Queen's Bays were the only dragoon guard regiment to have cloth facings instead of velvet. The colour was pale cream. Similar cord and braid was used to decorate the back skirt of the tunic, tracing the edges of the false pockets, with three gilt buttons on each side and two more at the waist. There are gilt metal Bays badges on each side of the collar. Gold lace follows the front and top edge of the collar for ranks below major. Field ranks had gold lace also along the bottom edge. The front edge of the tunic, and the outer edge of the collar were of facing colour cloth.
The pouchbelt and waistbelt were of Morocco leather covered with gold lace and edged with the same white cloth of the facings. The sword was slung on narrower belts, also gold laced but attached to a webbing belt worn under the tunic. The sword looks straight in this photo although the regulations call for a slightly curved blade for all cavalry regiments. The guard on the hilt does not look like the usual pierced ornamental hand guard. The sword knot is of white leather with a gold acorn end. He holds the gilt helmet which has a black horsehair plume falling as far as the bottom of the helmet. His blue breeches, for mounted duty, have a white stripe one and three quarter inches wide. The 2nd Dragoon Guards are singled out in the regulations as always wearing steel spurs on their knee boots. For other regiments steel was worn for every day, but brass for state occasions and mess dress.

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