Saturday 9 February 2008

Generic British Grenadier Type 2 No.2


And a Type 2 grenadier with the alternative cuff style.

Generic British Grenadier Type 2 No.1


Here is a grenadier with the Type 2 uniform.

Generic British Grenadier Type 1


The typical British cloth grenadier cap was a rather crude item, although they were impressive when seen en masse. The back and the small front flap with the white horse of Hanover were in red cloth, with white tape edging. The GR cipher with its decorative scrollwork was in various colours, with the crown depicted in natural colours of white, red and yellow. The front and the band at the base at the back were in the regimental facing colour. The tape binding was white and the tuft at the top in regimental colours. By contrast, officers' mitres were often beautiful objects, elaborately embroidered in coloured silks, and silver and gold thread.

The only other item on the uniform that differed from that of the "hatmen" or privates of the battalion companies was the addition of wings, of red cloth bound with regimental tape. Before 1752 it seems that the grenadiers of only 19 regiments wore them (according to the artist David Morier) but they were ordered for all regiments in that year.

Monday 4 February 2008

British Infantry Uniform, Early SYW, Type 2 No.2


Here is the second of the Type 2 uniform variants, with alternative cuff style.

British Infantry Uniform, Early SYW, Type 2 No.1


Here is the first of 2 variants of the Type 2 uniform, with the vertical arrow-like false pockets and sleeve lace.

Sunday 3 February 2008

British Infantry Uniform, Early SYW, Type 1


This is a generic British infantry uniform of the early SYW. I call it Type 1 because there were 2 major variations in the general style of the uniform - this type with the false horizontal pockets and one which I shall call Type 2 with a vertical arrow-like pattern false pocket. The basic uniform was brick red for other ranks (scarlet for officers) and regiments were distinguished by lapels, turnbacks and cuffs in the regimental colour and also by a coloured tape or lace unique to each regiment which appeared on the cuffs, edges of the lapels, etc.. At this scale it is not possible to represent the individual patterns of the tape; I leave an attempt at doing that to those who use the templates, if they so wish!