"Indian Army Uniforms 1860 - 1900." Topic

Is there a good book that covers the various units and uniforms of the Indian Army for this period?

I found this link quite useful: link

There's a book by Mollo but it's probably OP now. There are the Osprey titles as well.

Mollo is essential and can be had quite cheaply second hand via Amazon or Abebooks. Ospreys more limited and their Indian Cavalry 1857+ volume has some of the worst artwork they've done.

A better formatted link from Jamesonsafari's posting:

link

The Indian Army by Boris Mollo. THE work to have.

I have the Mollo book which is excellent, but it, and most of the others mentioned, are not a lot of help on actual field appearance after The Mutiny, especially how late (and _if_) regimental turbans were worn in action.

I believe there once was an Almark book by RJ Marion I have long rued not picking up when it was in print. Memory says it was on the Indian cavalry only, but then memory often being an iffy proposition…

Can anyone provide the (Almark) bibliographic info such as it may have been? Also links to any studies of regimental turban patterns?
TIA.

THE work to have would be W.C. Carmans 2 volume set (Indian Army Uniforms: Infantry & Cavalry). Not cheap though, so Mollo is a very good second best.

>>>W.C. Carmans 2 volume set<<<

I was poring over those a few evenings ago, but have yet to discover the info I sought about various units serving on the NWF and in the Sudan, ca. 1879-98.

Damn, ok who mentioned the Carman set…

About £100.00 GBP the pair, not too bad.

Just what do they contain, as I am only getting sketchy details from the booksellers.

There was a military history magazine known as "Campaigns" that had a nice series of plates for uniforms in the 1880s & 1890s. For turban details I have used details from later periods-knowing it to possibly be wrong but better than nothing. For the 1880s & 90s most field uniforms were "all khaki, all the time" but that is so boring.

FreddBloggs:

>>>Just what do they contain<<<

Below is a scan of the Table of Contents from the volume on "Artillery, Engineers and Infantry". I scanned it with Omni Page so there might be a few (software) misinterpretations here and there. Case in point the roman numeral chapter numbers seen as Title Case instead of all caps; and the tab formatting of page numbers is not to the right margin.

I feel the textual info is somewhat reminiscent of C.C.P. Lawson's style in the 5 volume Uniforms of the British Army. From a wargamer's point of view very useful for painting prior to 1857.

Hope this is of some help. Cheers…

Contents

Page
Introduction vii
Acknowledgments viii
List Of Illustrations ix
Chapter
I Bengal Artillery 1
Ii Madras Artillery 13
Iii Bombayartillery 30
Iv Cadets 39
V Native Artillery 42
Vi Artillery And Engineers (A. F. 1.) 49
Vii Engineers And Sappers And Miners 52
Viii Pioneers 64
Ix European Infantry 69
X Auxiliary Forces (India) 81
Xi Bengal Native Infantry Up To The Mutiny 96
Xii Bengal Native Infantry After The Mutiny 107
Xiii Madras Native Infantry Up To The Mutiny 130
Xiv Madras Native Infantry After The Mutiny 152
Xv Bombay Native Infantry Up To The Mutiny 161
Xvi Bombay Native Infantry After The Mutiny 176
Xvii Local Forces 185
Xviii Gurkhas 199
Xix Punjab Frontierforce 213
Xx Indianarmy 1903 To 1922 225
Xxi The Last Of The Full Dress 229
Appendix I: Standing Orders, Bengaln.I. 1828 243
Appendix Ii: Bengalnative Infantry 246
Appendix Iii: Madras Native Infantry 248
Appendix Iv: Development Of Ggurkha Rregiments 250
Sources And Bibliography 251
Index 255

Doc Ord:

>>>There was a military history magazine known as "Campaigns"<<<

I have a box full of those stored away, any idea which issues? Maybe there's an index to "Campaigns" on the net?

>>>For the 1880s & 90s most field uniforms were "all khaki, all the time" but that is so boring.<<<

Right, and one does sometimes see uniformed troops pictured in khaki but with regimental turbans. "Wargamer's License" dictates, "if you like it, do it".

I don't remember the issue of Campaigns but may be able to find my issue this weekend.I painted the 3rd Bombay Cavalry & the Scinde Horse for Maiwand using an 1886 uniform from that article. They are in the full color turbans with green & grey-blue tunics-not correct but I couldn't resist.

>>>not correct but I couldn't resist.<<<

Well I've located my box in the last hour so will have a dive into it this weekend. I like your approach, I think the charm of colonial (wargames) troops is the little bit of "wiggle-room" one can justify.

And, your cavalry above are "not incorrect" (for 1886), and my idea of a colonial project would be something like India & Egypt ca. 1878-1898, or so, for "The Sun Never Sets"…

Cheers

Cheriton, thank you, just have to save up for them now.

I admit I am aiming for much the same period with my colonials, but I want to make a real show out of the cavalry as they were splendidly coloured etc. I will have some in just Khaki, but the pagentry of the earlier uniforms appeals as well.

Accurately the wore Khaki, not the fancy stuff you are referring to!

Brian Robson quotes some contemporary sources in his work " The road to Kabul" eg 19th Benghal lancers in Kandahar (02/1879) blue kurtas, loose yellow pyjamas with long boots blue turban over a red kulla

Doc Ord & carolusone:

The following textual information describes color plates from The Frontier Ablaze by Michael Barthorp: The North-West Frontier Rising, 1897-98, one of a series of titles published in the 1990s by Windrow & Green, London.

This series covered several campaigns ranging from "The "45" through "The Somme, 1916" and the color plates depicted campaign appearance by the troops in question. The two Indian cavalrymen below are depicted wearing colored pagris (turbans).

C1: Sowar, Queen's Own Corps of Guides (Cavalry), Punjab Frontier Force
This Afridi trooper, after photographs and watercolours by A. C. Lovett, wears the long, collarless cavalry kurta with shoulder chains, and regimental red cummerbund. At this date the Guides Cavalry had khaki puttees rather than the dark blue or black worn by other Indian cavalry (cf D2); and wore this coloured pagri in place of the khaki obf the Guides Infantry, with a red kulla for Mohammedan personnel. He is accoutred with pouch belt and sword belt based on the Sam Browne principle, with ammunition pouch attached. His weapons are the Martini-Henry carbine, and the three-bar-hilted sword issued to this regiment; other Indian cavalry had swords according to regimental choice. After the Malakand operations the guides join the Buner Field Force.

D2: Rissaldar, 10th Bengal (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers
IThis regiment, and the 11th, each had one squadron with the Force; the 10th's was later joined by the rest of the regiment in the Buner Field Force. This Mussulman Rajput officer, taken from a photograph, is uniformed similarly to the Guides sowar (CI) but with a collar to his kurta, and black puttees. The gold tip to his red kulla denotes commissioned rank, in addition to the insignia on his shoulder chains. Two lanyards are worn round neck, one attached to the revolver holstered on his waist belt, the other to a whistle in the breast pocket. The sword belt has a broader cross-brace than the convenrional Sam Browne; this was not worn by sowars, but they had a belt of similar width over the left shoulder for attachment of the carbine when this was not carried in its bucket attached to the saddle. The 10th Lancers sword had a pierced steel guard.

Oh, yes--I have that book--wonderful plates!!I have all of the seris actually.

also nice are two old Ospreys Bengal infantry and Bengal cavamry by RG Harris