This photo was taken when the 1st Battalion was stationed in Dublin in 1899. The photo is a copy of a reproduced photo from the collection of Percy Sumner who had written ‘KOSB 1899’ at bottom left.
The Adjutant and RSM inspect a line-up of four privates, a drummer and piper, while a corporal stands behind them. The Adjutant, on the left, is in undress mounted order, with a blue patrol jacket, tartan breeches and boots. A sword and black leather sabretache are slung from white belts attached to a belt hidden under the jacket. He and the RSM wear glengarry caps which have a small red tourie on top, and black silk ribbons behind. The officer’s blue jacket can also be seen worn by an officer of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders at Mounting Guard c1906.
The RSM wears a scarlet frock tunic worn as second best to the dress doublet. The skirts are short, and at the front are rounded off Scottish-style, with pocket flaps decorated with brass buttons and gold braid button-holes. The same type of decoration is on his gauntlet-style cuffs. The scarlet cuffs and blue collar are edged with gold lace, officer-style, but the shoulder straps are of the same material as the tunic, with gold edging. His rank badge is not visible from this angle, and it is noted that he does not have a crimson sergeant's sash on his right shoulder.
He wears tartan trews which are still, at this point, government pattern (although not clear in this reproduction) which had been worn since 1881. In 1898 the KOSB were permitted to wear the Leslie tartan, but he and the other figures in the photo had not received them yet. The other thing to mention is that he has a broadsword slung from a white waist-belt.
The piper has a different tartan to the rest of the regiment; Royal Stuart tartan which is basically red. He has a white waist-length drill jacket which the Scottish regiments retained longer than the rest of the British infantry. His glengarry is plain blue without the dicing worn by the rest of the regiment.
Next to the piper is a drummer, identified by the drum badge on his upper arm. He has a string and tassel on his left shoulder, supporting a bugle hidden from view. He does not have a rifle, nor does he have ammunition pouches on the front of his waist-belt. However, he has Slade Wallace equipment like the other men, with the valise high on the back. He wears a scarlet frock tunic which has buttoned pocket flaps on the front skirt, and a blue collar with brass collar badges.
The men are all in scarlet frocks, second-best to the dress doublet, and government tartan trews tucked into black gaiters. The blue, cloth-covered helmets were worn for home service up until c1904 when they were replaced, in dress uniform, by the Kilmarnock bonnet. They are kitted out in a similar manner to the private on guard duty at Private, Marching Order 1895.
