"British Drummers Coats for Regiments w/black facings" Topic

Am I remembering correctly that Drummers coats were changed from black to white for regiments with black facings in the early 1780s?

I believe that an ammendment was made to the Royal Warrant.

Did this practice continue through the Napoleonic period?

I think that the color of the fields of the regimental colours was also changed from black to white as well (still with the superimposed red cross).

V/R

Joe

As far as I know, the drummers of the 50th Foot wore the white coat with regimental lace. The regimental colour was black with a red cross. I believe it may have changed shortly after the wars were over to a white background, but in Spain, it was black.

According to Strachan's British Military Uniforms, 1768-1796, the change from Black to White was ordered in January 1796 (see page 238) in an order that applied to the 50th, 58th, 64th, 70th & 89th Regts. However,some of these orders were issued after the change became established practise(eg. hat lace) and this a case in point; p. 243 shows that the 58th Foot requested this change and got it approved in 1795, while the 70th Regt seem to have initiated the change by their request, which was approved in November 1780 (see p. 248).

Best Regards

Garry Wills
caseshotpublishing.com

Further to GarryWills correct interpratation confirmed by Franklin; Lawson states that the Prince Regent on 21 September 1811, directed that trumpeters and buglers be dressed in the same coats as their fellow infantryment to avoid them being conspicuous targets. This was applied to drummers as well in 1812 (Franklin p119).

The Dirty Half Hundreds Drummer's wore white in 1808:

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