Officers, Mess Dress 1965

This painting by Robin Guthrie depicts the officers of the Scots Greys attending a celebration dinner to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, in 1965. The scarlet mess dress of the Greys was in the 19th century cavalry style with a stand collar that was fastened loosely at the neck with a gold braid loop. The rest of the jacket was left open to reveal a scarlet waistcoat with gold lace edging. The collar and cuffs of the jacket were of blue cloth with gold lace edging, and a silver embroidered flaming bomb badge sewn on each side. The colours changed after amalgamation in 1971 when the facings changed to yellow. The blue overalls worn with this mess kit were tight-fitting and had a yellow stripe down the side. The officers in this painting are all recognisable. Of the two men sitting at the end of the table nearest us, the one on the left became the Colonel of the regiment, Lieutenant-General Sir Norman Arthur KCB, c1988. Another known figure is the young Duke of Kent seated to the right, near the end of the table, with a GCVO star on his chest. At the end of the mess can be seen the portrait of the Tzar of Russia in Greys uniform, and standing to the right of that is the Regimental Pipe-Major who walks around the table as he plays.

Regimental Details | Uniforms