"Did British supplied uniforms include officers/musicians?" Topic

Does anyone know whether the British, when they sent uniforms to the Spanish (And Prussians), also sent officer's and musicians uniforms?

Now, it could be that the often referenced "extra material" sent along with the sewn jackets and trousers were used to make officer's uniforms or musician's jackets, or that they embellished enlisted men's coats, or had uniforms made up locally to either harmonize with their unit or stand apart from it but I wondered if anyone had seen any evidence?

Speculations are also welcome.

I can't imagine the Prussians wearing British Musicians uniforms and if any were sent I suspect they were left unused and the drummers would've just worn the same as the rank and file.

As for the Spanish, some of the later uniforms were provided by the UK, and have a British feel to them, but I can't remember any instances of uniforms made in Britain for another army being shipped to the Spanish. Am I missing something?

Prussia and Hanover no question received surplus uniforms--rifle green to both, red coats to Hanover and dark blue late Spanish (or Portuguese) issue to Prussia. My guess--and it is only a guess--is that Prussian forces shipped uniforms made for such units would have received musicians' uniforms as well--if only because otherwise someone would have had to sort them out. Same would be true for Hanoverian units receiving British uniforms, I should think. They might not have been used. They might have been subject to local modifications. Given that officers in period were usually responsible for their own uniforms, and those might have superior materials and dyes, I'd say it was entirely possible no officer uniforms were sent. If I were again painting up Prussian reserve units or 1813 Hanoverians, my officers would be a mix of modified enlisted uniform, current regulation uniform and leftover 1803/1806 uniforms, but always with the right sash for the current army.

With Prussian officers from regular Regiments or government officials doubt they used English uniforms. Never seen or heard of this nor a uniform plate.

secondary sources like Heer und Tradition plates show a drummer in such a uniform, H. Knötel copies this in his picture book for Elting, so dubious, let's wait what Oliver Schmidt has to say about this.

The uniforms sent to other armies by the British tended to be for 'other ranks', of a pretty standard cut and blue. In the British Army, officers bought their own uniforms and regiments tended to 'create' their own musicians' uniforms as most were quite unique. I think it unlikely officers' and 'special' uniforms for musicians would have been included in the supplies though it might be possible that some officers in the supplied army would take jackets in lieu of anything else. I would be interested in contradictory information.

See "Prussian Reserve Infantry: 1813-15" by Robert Mantle at the Napoleon Series Archives: link

The Regulation Uniform
Musicians Comprised of drummers and fifers and the horn players of Fusilier Battalions. They wore the private's uniform with NCOs lace; in addition they wore semi-circular patches of cloth on each shoulder. Know as 'swallows nests', these were of the province colour, laced white; those of Pomeranian regiments matched the shoulder straps; only the First Pomeranian Regiment had all white ones.

Drums were brass and had an oval badge bearing a trophy of arms on the front. Cords were white and the hoops were painted in alternate diagonal bands on white and province colour (as for the swallow's nests). The slings were white and calfskin aprons protected the drummers' legs: sticks were black. Fifes were black and carried in a red case on a white belt worn over the left shoulder. Horns were brass, crescent shaped with green cords. Musicians were armed only with short swords.

Bandsmen wore the musicians' uniform, but with the white lace replaced by gold. At this period bands were rarely larger than a dozen men; the instruments were flutes, clarinets, oboes, 'natural'(i.e. valveless) horns, trumpets and trombones -- usually one or two of each. Percussion consisted of cymbals, tambourines, a brass drum and a 'jingling johnny'.

Officers wore the same shako as the men. The kollet had knee length tails with horizontal pockets piped red with two buttons. All buttons were gilt; the colours followed that of the privates. The officer's waist sash was cloth of silver with two black embroidered lines; it fastened on the left with two tassels. Under it was a sword belt, black or white depending on the battalion, supporting a straight bladed epee for Musketeer officers, or a curved sabre for Fusiliers. Both patterns had gilt hilts. They had black scabbards, with gilt fittings for the epee, and iron scabbards for sabres; the sword knots were all silver with black embroidered lines.

Legwear consisted of either grey trousers with a red stripe and gilt buttons down the seams or grey breeches tucked into marching boots. On campaign, officers wore a pack similar to the mens. This was intended to cut down on officers' personal baggage -- conservatives referred to the pack as 'the badge of dishonounr'(!) The greatcoat was grey and double breasted with gilt buttons. The length and colouring was the same as for the privates.

Rank was indicated by a system of shoulder straps replaced during the period 1812-1814 by epaulettes. Readers are referred to the full description in David Nash's The Prussian Army 1808-1815.

This uniform was largely based on the Russian infantry uniform of the 1806-1807 period, when the Prussian court had moved first to Konigsberg and then to Memel. A close friendship developed between the King and Tsar Alexander. Joint operations had emphasised the archaic appearance of the Prussian infantry and the King ordered a detailed record of Russian uniforms to be compiled. (Before 1806, Friedrich Wilhelm had 'improved' the Prussian uniforms, notably with a singularly ugly grenadier cap.) The reformers encouraged the King's interest in designing the new uniforms new uniforms to keep him from interfering with their more radical measures. It was the beginning of a close relationship between the Houses of Hohenzollern and Romanov and their respective countries, which was to endure for over fifty years. The Prussian Army's 'borrowings' ranged from the 'goose-step' to the permanently fixed bayonet and many marches, (in 1914, 15 percent of the official Prussian march collection was of Russian origin), while Prussian uniforms followed Russian ones in every detail.

This uniform, henceforth referred to as the 'regulation uniform' was worn by the cadres of officers, NCOs and musicians supplied by Regular Regiments to their Reserve Battalions, on their formation. During 1813-1815, it was gradually issued to Reserve units, but many regiments took the field in June 1815 wearing a variety of uniforms.

Note there is very limited mention in the uniform descriptions of the individual Reserve Regiments:

First Reserve Infantry Regiment (this is also the Heer und Tradition illustration referred to by vW)
I Battalion
Until July 1813, this was the III Musketeer Battalion, First East Prussian Infantry Regiment. Officers and cadre wore the regulation uniform with brick-red facings and white shoulder straps, while the privates wore grey caps with an orange-red band bearing red figure 1, grey tailless jackets with white shoulder straps and grey trousers or breeches with black gaiters. Equipment consisted of a cartridge box on a white belt.

After July 1813, the Battalion's appearance was radically changed when the 'British' uniform was issued. The shako was the conical model described in detail above, with a white and red cockade, white over red plume and a brass oval badge with a lion rampant. They wore a dark blue 'British' jacket with white turnbacks bearing blue grenades, a red collar, round cuffs and shoulder straps, all piped white. Eight yellow metal buttons were worn on the front of the jacket, evenly spaced, and two on each cuff, with bars of white square ended lace. Dark blue or white trousers were worn tucked into gaiters, a white belt for the cartridge box and a regulation pack with white straps. Brown Bess muskets were used by this Battalion.

NCOs of this Battalion carried short swords on white belts and wore crimson waist sashes. Musicians wore bars of white lace on their sleeves like their British counterpart.

Ninth Reserve Infantry Regiment
II Battalion
The uniform was the same as the II/8R.I.R., but this Battalion originally wore red shoulder wings. These were later removed, as was the lace on the jacket and the shako plumes. Black belts were worn. Officers and musicians were dressed as in the I Battalion but with all the green facings replaced by red.

Twelfth Reserve Infantry Regiment
The I and II Battalions were formed by Reserve Musketeer Battalions of the Leib-Infantry Regiment, the III by the III Reserve Musketeer Battalion, Third East Prussian Regiment, and the officers and cadre of these Battalions wore the uniform of the Stamm-Regiment. Initially the Reservists of all three Battalions wore grey caps; tailless jackets, either without shoulder straps or with grey ones' grey trousers or breeches; and black gaiters. Equipment consisted of a cartridge box on a black belt, packs and haversacks of grey cloth with white straps.

After the formation of the Regiment, poppy-red patches were attached to the collar and regulation shakos in covers were issued. The majority of men had received calfskin packs by 1815 and all had been issued with short swords. Belts were now white for I and II Battalions and black for the III. Musicians had poppy-red 'swallows' nests, laced white.

But of course am dying to see what the oracle on the Prussian army has to say.

This is the "Heer und Tradition" plate referred to above: