Steve's Uniform Pages

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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