Red British Tunics

[VPpat]

I was hoping someone could tell me how many Reg. use the Red tunics and the Reg names.


Other than ebay, can someone suggest a dealer for the tunics
Thanks
pat

[peter monahan]

Pat

Do you mean in the modern British Army?

Off the top of my head, the only people wearing red tunics at present would be those on Buckingham Palace duty: the Guards regiments, usually. However, I'd guess that many regiments would have at least a small stock for colour parties, ceremonial guards and maybe burial parties. Like Highland kit, I suspect that in most cases they are NOT issue, so who and how many would depend on what individual reg'ts are prepared to pay to keep them up.

I know that many Canadian units use them for their bands. They are payed foir (here) out of regimantal funds, not issued, and in many cases are older than the men wearing them. I've got one in my closet to a Cdn unit which was sold off in the '70's but dates from the '50's and was almost certainly a bandsman's tunic. Up here they're not that hard to find and priced at a couple hundred bucks or less if they're "generic", nmore for older or rarer kit.

As to names, the MOD just made the (last??) amalgamation of regiments in the British Army. There are now 6 or 7 infantry regimants, I think, all multi-"battalion". The King's Reg't, The Queen's, The Light Infantryt reg't, The Highland Reg't (or maybe it's the "Scottish Reg't), The Fusileer Reg't and , I think one more. Within those regiments each battalion has kept it's old name. For example, the First Battalion, The Scottish Reg't (The Black Watch). I'm not sure that's exactly right, but you get the idea.

There were, in it's heyday, over 100 British reg'ts, and while they were numbered under the Cardwell Reforms (1882), most used a subsiduary title [name] too. Names came back around WWI I believe. After WWII the amalgamations started and by 2 years ago there were less than 30 infantry units. recruitng is way down and costs are up so... tradition can go hang. The last VC winner, for Iraq, was recruited in Fiji - a martial people - and serving in a "scotish" unit, I believe.

My tuppence worth.

Peter

[byterock]

As peter said it is base largely on what the Regiment can afford for its ceremonial kit. But here is a quick overview

Most ceremonial uniforms are based on the Napoleonic style So the standard colour is 'Scarlet'

Here is a very rough overview off the top of my head

Guard regiments, Scarlet tunic with Bearskin
Line regiments - Scarlet tunic with Shako
Rifle Regiments - Green Dublette with Shako
Highland Regiments - Scarlet Doublet with feather bonnet.

There are of course other regiments such as
Hussars
Lancers
RA
Household Calvary

The list is almost endless not to mention Service Units and modern units lit the RTR, RSA - Blue Patrols ??

Alas the demise of many British regiments does have a bright note at least here in Canada as many of the sister regiments have received some of their old ceremonial kit.

[VPpat]

I was speaking of current Reg's. I've seen on ebay the following.

Irish Guards
Welsh
Highland

Anybody on the forum collect the Scarlet Tunic's

pat

[leigh kitchen]

Line infantry Bands & Dums usually wear the red full dress tunics & the spiked dark blue home service helmet - like a British police helmet, or in the case of fusilier regiments busbies (like smaller, shorter haired bearskins). Certain units have in modern times chosen to wear white helmets instead of dark blue.

I'm not up on the recent amalgamations so can't say who's wearing what now, but the red tunic is such a wide ranging item in terms of style, facing colours, units & period of use it's rather hard to generalise.

[peter monahan]

Over here it's always the (modern) white helmets. I've never seen a band in Home Service helmets (drool). We have a Highland unit who wear non-Tartan full dress too: the Toronto Scottish, and The Royal Irish Reg't of canada who had green tunics over saffron kilts at one point.

I regularly see red tunics, Victorian patter but modern make, in "surplus" stores for $150-200 Cdn.