Officers c1903


This group of officers pose in dress uniforms after their return from South Africa. They are in scarlet tunics with green facings which were restored in 1898 after much pressure from the regiment. Dress uniform had to be put aside in 1899 when the 1st Battalion went off to fight in the Boer War. By the time they returned to England their tailors would have finished and delivered the new tunics. One officer, seated second from the left has white facings. He is either a member of another regiment or else he has not received his new uniform. Nine of the officers have medals for the Boer War. One has four medals including a cross which is the DSO. The only officer of the 19th who won the DSO in 1902 was Major Michael Harrison Orr. He was born in Ballymena in 1859 and served in the Egyptian Campaign of 1884/5 which would mean that he should have two medals for Egypt as well. He retired in 1907 and died in 1926. Interestingly he is wearing a non-regulation tunic; it has two rows of gold lace on the cuffs which was the pre-1902 pattern for field officers. In 1902 it was ordered that officers’ tunics should be standardised so that rank was only indicated by the badges on the gold shoulder cords. The heavily moustached CO sitting in the middle of the photo has the new down-graded tunic.


Regimental Details | Uniforms


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by Stephen Luscombe