When Anne came to the throne, armour which had not been entirely abolished completely died out, and the foot soldiers wore a comfortable scarlet coat with distinctive facings, a cocked hat, breeches, and long black gaiters reaching just above the knees, with a strap below the knee to hold them in position. The cavalry also wore a cocked hat and large boots. Some officers wore a wide-brimmed hat, turned up on two sides and decked with gay feathers.[3] [3] Luard, "A History of the Dress of the British Soldier," p. 94. The first two Georges introduced many ideas from abroad, the most striking of which was the mitre helmet, worn even to-day by certain Central European regiments. The men who were provided with this headgear were certainly picturesque in appearance; the Royal Fusiliers, for instance, wore a high mitred helmet, elaborately ornamented with regimental devices, a long tail coat, buttoned back at the front in a way which is reminiscent of the present French infantry, knee breeches, cloth leggings, and a plain bandolier carrying a bag, much after the fashion of a sabretache. With the exception of his hat, which was clumsy and gave no protection either against weather or onslaughts, his uniform was comfortable though weighty. George III discarded the low boots and leggings for knee-boots, but these were soon given up for low boots and long trousers. The buttons on the uniform of the Heavy Dragoons, also, were replaced by hooks and eyes, whilst the Light Dragoons lost nearly all theirs. In addition, their helmet was replaced by a felt shako. Curiously enough, the Hussar, who wore five rows of heavy buttons on his jacket and five more rows on the little pelisse which he slung loosely over his left arm, was allowed to keep all his cumbersome ornamentation. The Peninsular War brought many changes, but these were more variations of the set styles than complete alterations in shapes and colours, probably the result of requiring large quantities of outfits for the war, in the quickest possible time. Luard, writing of this period, says[4]: "The officers of the Army of the Peninsula ran into great extremes of fashion; and as there was a difficulty, frequently, in procuring articles of dress exactly according to regulations, considerable latitude was of necessity granted. An officer of the 4th Dragoons, who was very fond of being gaily dressed, was always searching for silver lace, and whenever he went into a town and returned to the camp, on being questioned regarding what articles of food were to be procured, invariably answered: 'I don't know, but I found some silver lace.'" [4] Luard, "A History of the Dress of the British Soldier," p. 102. Directly following the Napoleonic Wars it was felt prudent for the sake of peace to garrison a British Army of Occupation in France. Four cavalry regiments crossed the Channel, the 9th, 12th, 16th, and 23rd Light Dragoons being selected.