Officers 1872

The officers in this half of a group photo wear full dress and undress. They are in the 2nd Battalion which was raised in 1858 and served in South Africa and Mauritius from 1859 to 1867. The photo was taken while they were in England in 1872, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Maunsell.
The dress shako worn by three of the officers is the 1869-78 pattern with the falling green light infantry plume on the front. At first it was a blue shako but later changed to dark green. The plume was replaced by a silk ball tuft in 1874. The subalterns had two rows of dark braid around the top while senior officers had gold braid. The figure on the right of the picture, leaning on the window ledge, is Major Douglas with one line of gold braid. The CO, who is not in this picture, has two rows.
The major's scarlet tunic has blue facings with gold lace. The cuffs were pointed, as from 1868, with two rows of gold lace half an inch in width. Above the lace is a row of Russia braid in circlets while the lower edge has the braid as a single line. His collar has the top edge in gold lace and the braid in circlets, with an embroidered silver crown badge of rank. He is in mourning so has a black crepe band around his arm. The white leather waist-belt is fastened with a round clasp and supports a sword, and a sabretache, on two slings as opposed to the normal three. The sabretache has a badge which is the stringed bugle and mural crown with a device below that is unclear. He has dark breeches, that in this period changed from Oxford mixture to dark blue. He is in mounted order which explains the knee boots and sabretache.
Four other officers are in dress uniform but in dismounted order. They are subalterns; two sub-lieutenants wearing stars on their collars, and two lieutenants wearing crowns. The rank of ensign had been changed to sub-lieutenant in 1871. Sub-Lieutenant Hughes sits on a chair between two officers in undress. He has the 1869 badge on his shako which is the correct version of the regimental badge. Lieutenant Stanhope, behind him appears to have the old 1861 badge, partly obscured by his green plume. The subalterns all have a single row of gold lace on their collar and cuffs, with straight rows of braid.
The officers in undress wear the peaked forage cap which was dark green with a red band. The badge is described as metal for the 13th in the 1864 Dress Regulations but looks embroidered in this photo as indeed later examples proved to be. The patrol jacket is blue with inch wide black mohair braid around the edges. Four rows of black flat cord are across the chest with loops and drops. The olivet buttons fasten in the middle but the jacket is further fastened with hooks and eyes. The cuffs have Austrian knots in the same black flat cord. Swords were carried, suspended from a waist-belt worn under the jacket.

Regimental Details | Uniforms