Private, Review Order 1907 The Kilmarnock Bonnet cocked was issued to the 1st Battalion in 1903. The angle of this view shows the red tourie on top and the black silk ribbon at the back of the bonnet. The private wears his bonnet without the black chinstrap. His dress doublet is scarlet with dark blue facings. Eight brass universal pattern buttons fastened the front, and there were three on each cuff and three on each of the four Inverness skirts. Two more buttons were at the back, at waist level, and two small buttons fastened the shoulder straps. The early pattern doublet had scarlet shoulder straps with white embroidered KOSB, but after 1907 the shoulder straps were in the facing colour and had a brass KOSB.
He wears Leslie tartan trews issued in 1903 to replace the less popular government tartan. He has two medals for the South African War 1900-1902 and has a white leather waist-belt that holds his 17-inch sword bayonet. The rifle is the .303 Short Lee-Enfield which was used throughout WW1.
The image is a detail from a painting by J McNeill which was reproduced on a contemporary postcard (shown below).
