The Life of a Regimental Officer During the Great War, 1793-1815Mockler-Ferryman, A. F. (Augustus Ferryman)
History
The Life of a Regimental Officer During the Great War, 1793-1815
Mockler-Ferryman, A. F. (Augustus Ferryman)
Great Britain -- History -- 1789-1820; Rice, Samuel, 1775-1840
wore cocked hats, but in 1811 these were replaced by shakos with a
green feather in front. Probably it was found that the breeches and
leggings were difficult to keep in repair, for it is certain that
they soon disappeared in favour of blue-grey cloth trousers, with
short spat-gaiters underneath; and the officers, who were supposed
to wear long boots (to the knee), took to the trousers also, wearing
leather gaiters over them, if they were able to obtain them. In
the interval between the Peninsular War and the Waterloo campaign
regiments had time to return to a strict uniformity of dress, and
the grey trousers became the regulation covering for the legs on
active service; otherwise there was no change until after Waterloo.
As soon as peace was established and regiments began to return
home, the military tailors, who had had idle times for some years,
cast about for openings for innovations; but since the army had
now established the fact that it was intended for fighting more
than for show, and since the uniform worn in 1815 was considered
both serviceable and showy, the tailors found some difficulty in
introducing alterations. The opportunity came, however, in 1816,
when some one took a fancy to the head-dresses worn by some of the
foreign troops forming part of the army of occupation of France,
and forthwith a new shako was designed for the British army. This
was heavy and cumbersome, being seven and a half inches high and
eleven inches in diameter at the top, but its shape and size gave
the tailors wide scope for lace and other adornments. So appearance,
not for the first or the last time, was made to override utility.
Other innovations in dress soon followed, and by 1821 the uniform
in which the 51st had fought in the Peninsula and at Waterloo was
almost entirely altered. The grey trousers had gone, and the white
breeches and black leggings had come back; the curved light infantry
sabre, worn by the officers suspended from slings, was replaced by a
straight sword, hung in a frog from the white shoulder-belt; and for
the short-tailed light infantry jacket there had been substituted the
long-tailed coatee. The 51st still wore grass-green facings, but in
April 1821 his Majesty conferred upon the regiment the additional
title of "The King's Own Light Infantry," when its facings were
changed to blue and the lace to gold (oak-leaf pattern). A year later
the historic breeches and leggings finally disappeared, and trousers,
grey or white according to the season, were ordered to be worn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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