Trumpeters and Drumhorse, Dress Uniform 1838

This watercolour painted by M A Hayes in Ireland in 1838, is the earliest accurate evidence of musicians' uniforms in the Scots Greys. The man standing on the left wears the long-tailed scarlet coatee with a gold laced collar that has a grenade badge. Only officers and musicians had this collar badge, and there is a suggestion of a badge on the front of the black bearskins which is most likely to be a brass grenade badge. The red plume curves over the top of the bearskin, following the style of the white plumes worn by the rest of the regiment at that time. They appear to be wearing epaulettes like the officers but they are in fact solid metal, not gold lace and bullion. There are flamboyant gold aiguillettes on the right shoulder which we presume are also on the two mounted figures.
The mounted trumpeter on the right shows us that he has slashed cuffs with three brass buttons. He wears short white gloves instead of gauntlets. Both the trumpeters carry the special pattern musicians' curved scimitar swords in gilt scabbards. The sheepskin saddle cover has a red scalloped edge, a distinction of the musicians while the rank and file had no sheepskins at this time. The drumhorse is grey and has red drum banners. This is somewhat surprising because although the banners at the end of the 19th and throughout the 20th century were red, there was a period from the 1860s to the 1880s when they were blue. The embroidery on the banners is the royal coat of arms and shows no sign of thistles, grenades or the Eagle. Another Hayes painting shows the band and drumhorse also with red drum banners.There is no shabraque, but the drummer's saddle is covered with a white sheepskin edged red.

Regimental Details | Band