Captain, 17th Foot, 1856 (Leicestershire Regiment)

Description

The 17th Foot was raised in 1688 as Colonel Solomon Richard’s Regiment of Foot. Numbered 17th in 1751, the title Leicestershire was added in 1782. In 1881, it became The Leicestershire Regiment and in 1946 became The Royal Leicestershire Regiment. In 1964 it was merged with 3 other regiments to form The Royal Anglian Regiment of which B Company of the 2nd Battalion continues the regimental succession. The Royal Tiger of India, a green tiger with gold stripes, was granted to the regiment in commemoration of its distinguished service in India at the beginning of the 19th century. The short coat with heavy epaulettes and tails, proved quite unsuitable for active service in the Crimea, and early during the war it was abolished for the infantry and replaced by the tunic shown here, a garment like the frock coat worn in civilian dress at this time. It was long in the skirt presumably for warmth, had no epaulettes, and instead of the high tight collar of the coatee, had a low one cut away in front, the V-shaped opening being filled with a black stock. The double-breasted front of the coatee was retained. The crimson sash, denoting an officer on duty, was moved from the waist to the left shoulder. Majors and above had their badges in gold, captains and below in silver, colonels and captains wearing a crown and star, lieutenant-colonels and lieutenants a crown, and majors and ensigns or second-lieutenants a star. Field officers also wore more lace on their collars and, later, on their cuffs as well. The shako was similar in shape to its predecessor, but was slightly lower in the crown, and slightly more practical. It was covered, for officers, in blue velvet. In the Crimea, however, it was little worn.