Uniform of
Colonel
58th Rutlanshire Regiment of Foot 1857
This uniform is the typical Infantry Officers
dress uniform of the period.
This uniform has been thoroughly researched,
and is accurate in almost every detail.
The Jacket and Trousers started out as current
issue Grenadier Guards, which are almost an exact copy of the 1857
pattern Scarlets. To convert them to Officer pattern I had to remove
cuff and rear skirt details and replace them with gold lace. The
collar was altered and again had gold lace applied. The epaulettes
were removed and the single gold rope epaulette was applied to the
right shoulder only.
Officers uniform jackets under went a number
of changes throughout history, eventually coming almost full circle.
The second Albert pattern Shako which I
am wearing in these pictures is home made from felt and kitchen
lino.
In January 1855, a new infantry headdress was
introduced replacing the ‘Albert’ shako, which had been in use since
1844. The new cap of the period resembled the French infantry version
with a slightly tilted front. The two-inch woollen bail tufts were
two thirds white and one third red at the bottom for officers and
Other Ranks of Battalion Companies. They were all green for Light
Infantry Companies and all white for Grenadier Companies. The universal
pattern shako plates were gilded and had black leather centres;
red for Royal Regiments. Other Ranks’ shako plates were brass, cast
in one piece with the regimental number within the garter on a black
enamelled backing. Colonels and lieutenant colonels had two bands
of half inch wide gold lace around the upper part of the shako and
majors had a single band of the same lace.
Some might notice that the helmet has the
number 56 on it in these pictures. this has since been changed.
The cuff and collar colours denote which regiment the jacket belongs
to . These are black, and only the 58th had black.
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