Army Lists

Military Head Dress 1811 - 1830

Infantry Officer's Shako		Life Guards
1811-16   This officer's shako (Line Regiment) was of black felt, bound with black braid, with patent leather peak. A black silk rosette (the Hanoverian tocktade), was worn on the left wisde with a regimental button, and behind this rosette was the socket for the feather plume. The gilt plate in front was universal, in some cases Regiments had their number below the cypher. The festoon and tassels were of gold and crimson cord for the officers, and of white worsted for other ranks, who wore tufts of worsted instead of Family Plumes.		Officer's full dress helmet 1815   At this time the Life Guards wore a silver-plated helmet of Roman pattern with a large crest of black bearskin. The gilt plate in front bore on it the Royal Arms with the battle honours "Waterloo" and "Penisula". At each side of the helmet was a gilt scroll of laurel leaves, and both front and back peaks were bound with gilt metal. The chin-strap of gilt scales was attached to a lion's head on either side of the helmet.

2nd Dragoons		7th (Queen's Own) Hussars
Officer's full dress bearskin 1815   Towards the end of 1768 this famous regiment, better known, perhaps, as the Scots Greys, were authorized to wear a black bearskin head-dress with white hackle-feather plume on the left side. Our picture shows the pattern worn at Waterloo and for some years after. The gilt plate in front, almost entirely hidden by the long fur, bears the Royal Arms. A plaited cord of gold, ending in a tassel on the left side, encircled the lower part of the cap.		Officer's full dress busby 1815   In 1812 the shako was introduced for some Hussar Regiments; the 7th, however, wore busbies at Waterloo, possibly owing to the non-arrival of shakos from England, the Regiment being at the time on service. The busby worn by the 7th Hussars was of light brown fur, with a red and white osprey feather and a red bag or fly at the side. It had gold cap lines and flounders with tassels at the ends. These were attached to the busby and worn round the neck, fastening to the right breast. The chin strap was of gilt scales.

91st Regiment of Foot		19th Lancers
Officer's full dress shako 1816   This bell-shaped shako was brought into wear in 1816, and was not of a universal type for all Line Regiments. It was of the black beaver with laquered top, and had gold or silver lace 2in wide round the top and 1/2in wide round the bottom. In front was a black silk cockade with a regimental or plain pyramidal button in the centre. Behind this was the socket for the plume which was red and white for the Battalion Companies, plain white for the Grenadier Company, and green for the Light Company.		Officer's full dress cap 1820   The Lancer cap of this period had a trencher top 10 inches square, the skull portion with its straight sides being almost entirely covered with gold lace. The upper portion was of the colour of the regimental facings and was ribbed. The drooping plume (not shown in illustration) of red and white cocks's feathers, was attached to the top by a socket behind the gold bullion rosette bearing the initials G.R. embroidered on blue velvet. The large front-plate bore the Royal Arms.

2nd Dragoon Guards		The Rifle Brigade
Officer's full dress helmet 1822-31   This imposing head-dress, which was worn by the Dragoons and Dragoon Guards, was of black glazed material, the skull portion having a richly gilt laurel spray on each side. The peaks were bound with a gilt metal edging, the ornate chin scales being attached to the helmet by lions' heads. The front-plate bore the Royal Arms beneath a scroll with the regimental designation, the whole being surrounded by rays. The crest was of black bearskin.		Officer's full dress shako 1829-44   Rifle regiments wore this shako from 1829-1844. It was of black beaver with a laquered sunk top communicating by black side straps of stitched leather, with a band of the same encircling the bottom of the shako. The peak was of black patent leather; the festoon of black silk cord, and, as was usual in Rifle Regiments, the ornaments were of dark bronze. The ball tuft was of very dark green silk. Officers wore with this shako black silk lines with flounders and olives.

6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)		9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers
Officer's Levée head-dress 1830   At this period officers of the Dragoon and Dragoon Guard Regiments attending Levées wore a black cocked hat with star ornament of gold lace on the right side, with a black silk rosette at the top, from which hung along drooping plume of red and white swan feathers. The corners of the hat were decorated with bands of black silk lace of oak leaf pattern, and there were tassels of gold and crimson bullion at each end.		Officer's full dress cap 1830-40   From 1830 the cap of this Regiment has always differed from that of the other Lancers in that the mountings have been of gilt metal and not of gold lace, the top being of black leather and not of the colour of the facings. The gilt front-plate bears the arms of Queen Adelaide, with the doulbe and reversed cypher A.R. in silver. The drooping plume of black feathers fitted into a socket behind a gilt metal boss. Neither the back peak, which was permanently turned up, nor the front peak was laced.