"British light dragoon officers" Topic

What features distinguished the officer and nco uniforms from the troopers during the Peninsular?

cheers,

Dave

If the lace was white for troopers it was silver for officers. Yellow for troopers gold for officers. For NCO's, depends on senority of rank

Thanks. Even the plume on the Tarleton was the same then?

Dave

I am looking at "British Light Cavalry" by John Pimlott, Almark Purlishing Co. Ltd, London, 1977. On pages 38 and 39 are color illustrations and schematics by Emir Bukhari. I don't know how "dated" these are, but there are some interesting specifics.

Corporal in service dress of the 13th, 1808-12, with RHA helmet which appears to have a buff headband, buff collar and pointed cuffs edged yellow, 7 yellow laces across the chest, and three rows of brass buttons. He has a very bushy, large feather plume on the left, lower 1/3 scarlet, top 2/3 white. The plume looks the same for the officer of the 23rd, service dress, 1808-12. But an officer of the 13th is shown in campaign dress 1807-12, with fore and aft bicorn hat with tassles at each end, probably of gold material. Buff collar and pointed cuffs edged gold. Gold cords across the chest with gold buttons. The other officers seem to have 5 rows of buttons (looking vertically)across the chest, but this one seems to have anly 3 rows. He has a hussar-like "tubes" waste belt, crimson with gold panels, but they seem to have slipped off kilter – not neat set of 3 panels of gold in the front of the crimson belt. The officer of the 23rd has just a solid crimson waste sash. The corporal of the 13th has no sash, just a shell jacket or dolman. The officer of the 13th is in light gray overalls with a wide gold stripe up the side. Four officers are shown, and all have hussar sabertaches in black. 3 show no decoration, but officer of the 16th, 1807-08 has what must be a regimental crest in white metal, crown in white metal above. Oddly, he wears a mirleton, cylindrical shako.

The saddle equipment of the two mounted officers shown is not very clear. The 13th seems to have a small black lambswool saddle cover edged gold in sawtooth pattern, and rolled dark blue cloak or blanket underneath, and in front where pistol cases would usually appear. It appears that the black lambs wool goes up in the rear over a cantlepack in dark blue, cylindrical in shape. No gold lace or "XIII" over "LD" on the end. He wears a white crossbelt holding the bullet pouch, and the sword/sabretache strapping is white.

The troopers are not shown with sabretache.

By the way, there is a trumpeter shown for the 18th (later Hussars), 1808, with scarlet dolman edged and laced white, dark blue collar and pointed cuffs edged white, and a French-looking (not the very high original British hussar busby) hussar busby with white cords high on the right with two "raquettes" in French style. The cord drops down across the front and goes low around the busby toward the rear. The same huge white over scarlet plumage.

The saddlery of the trooper of the 12; the trumpeter of the 18th; the officer of an unknown regiment; and the officer of the 13th are generally similar with black lambs wool edged in yellow or white for enlisted; gold or silver for officers.

GdeP

Wow, thanks GdeP. That is a response above and beyond the call of duty!

You are welcome, DColtman.

By the way, that book also shows a blocked schematic of the Trumpet-major of the 13th, 1807-1812. Buff shell jacket, 16! gold cords across the chest with what looks like 3 rows of white metal buttons! Dark blue collar and pointed cuffs. Collar top, front and bottom edged gold; cuffs and jacket bottom, and rear seams edged gold. No waist belt. Trousers are almost a ACW trouser light blue/gray, with two gold stripes down the side. No epaulettes. Sergeant stripes are dark blue chevrons pointed down, on gold background.

The 13th seems to be the best represents LD regiment in the book. By 1815, the trumpet major is shown in dark blue lancer-like jacket, with buff collar, lapels and cuffs edged gold. triangular turnbacks, vertical pocket edge, and jacket seams are butt material. Waist band is 3 buff lines with two dark blue. Looks like gold fringed epaulettes. Sergeant stripes pointed down in chevron are dark blue on gold background. The troopers must have looked the same without the gold edging.

For the 1813-15 period there are four mounted figures shown. Three have round cantlepacks, but the trooper of the 13th has a box-like cantlepack, edged buff with "XIII" over "LD" on the end. He is shown with water canteen, carbine, off-white linen/canvass satchel, in service dress. Shako with top band in yellow (?) with cords. Dark blue square edged shabraque with wide buff border, under white lambswool small shabraque edged with buff sawtooth. Light gray breeches with wide buff band have light brown leather extensions to the cloth at the bottom. This uniform might have been worn late in the Peninsula, up through Waterloo.

GdeP