Middlesex Duke of Cambridge’s Hussars, Yeomanry Cavalry

NCOs c1890

The uniform of the Middlesex Hussars was a green tunic with yellow cording, and blue trousers or breeches with double red stripes. These NCOs wear undress pill-box caps which are green with either red or gold cap-bands. Interestingly the caps are of different heights as well as different patterns according to rank. The central seated figure is an officer wearing a frock coat and a gold laced cap. There is another man, probably an officer, standing on the left, also wearing a frock coat and gold laced cap. There are no rank badges visible on his shoulder straps which casts doubt on his officer status, although at that time 2nd lieutenants did not have a rank badge so he could be of that rank. But he seems too old to be so junior. He could be the bandmaster.
Three men wear the dress tunic. Two of them have gold cord across their chests; five rows. They also have four inverted gold chevrons on their right forearm, sewn beneath the cord Austrian knot. Above the chevrons are embroidered Victorian crowns. These are not rank badges as one would expect, but regimental NCO arm badges. All the NCOs in the photo have them. The only other unit that had such crown badges was the Household Cavalry so it seems that the Middlesex were honoured with this distinction. The sergeant on the other end of the seated line has a rank-and-file tunic with yellow cording. However, the caps at the end of the rows of cord seem to shine as if they are gold. The men with the four inverted chevrons are warrant officers, probably the RSM and QM Sergeant. The two men seated at the ends of the row have two medals each, showing that they must have served in a campaign. Perhaps they were on secondment to the yeomanry from a regular regiment.
There are three sergeants in the photo, all wearing green caps with a gold band of around one and a quarter inches wide. The two in stable jackets have gold braid around their black velvet collars and cuffs. Two NCOs are showing two stripes on their upper right sleeve denoting the rank of corporal. They have no gold braid but do have gold edged shoulder straps. Their caps have red cap-bands which are edged with thin gold braid. Another corporal stands behind the others and he appears to have two inverted chevrons on his forearm as opposed to the single chevron on the other two corporals. These must be good conduct stripes, which were discarded when a man reached the rank of sergeant. Up until 1881 all soldiers wore these good-conduct stripes on the right arm, but after that year they were changed to the left arm. Perhaps the Middlesex were proud enough to ignore the order to change to the left arm.

Regimental Details | Uniforms