Figure 1.-- This photo shows a drummer in the Northumberland Fusiliers in 1904. He is in full dress, and the regiment is marking one of their battle honours on Minden Day. That is why he is wearing red and white roses in his fusilier cap.

Boys in British army units, like the other enlisted members, wore a variety of uniforms. There were no special uniforms for the boys, although they wore insinias identifying them as drummers. The variety of uniforms make them quite complicated to follow. There were both dress and field uniforms. The uniforms varied over time. To further complicate the matter, there was not one standard uniform worn throughout the army. Rather different units like the Cold Stream, Grenadier, and Scotts Guard had quite destinctive uniforms.

Chronology

Uniforms of course varied over time. HBC has very liitle understanding of uniform trends. Hopefully our contributors will provide us some information on this topic. The era beginning after the mid-19th century is much better understood than erlier as photographic images become available in larger quantities. One important chronological trend was the adoption of field uniforms in muted colors. European tatics and weapons until the late 19th century permitted the use of bright flashy colors in their uniforms. They might encounter some problems, such as fighting partisans in the American Revolutionary War, but bright colors were popular through the mid-19th century. I beliece the British began adopting muted colors for field uniforms in the Bohr War at the end of the 19th century.

Type

There were both dress and field uniforms. While dress and field (fatigue/camafloge) uniforms are now standard, I'm not sure just when the enlisted soldier began to be issued separate uniforms. The British seemed to have been issued field uniforms in the Boher War. I'm not sure if this was the first time or not.

Figure 2.-- This photo shows a boy serving in the Sherwood Foresters Regiment, He is holding the egimental Mascot in South Africa 1902. His uniform is the thick, winter, service dress worn with a slouch hat, By the end of the Boer War these hats had replaced the foreign service helmets.

Units

To further compivcate the matter, there was not one standard uniform worn throughout the army. Rather different units like the Cold Stream, Grenadier, and Scotts Guard had quite destinctive uniforms.