Australian Army
Red Coat (British Army)
Red Coat or Redcoat is a term often used to describe a soldier British military history, because of the color of military uniforms formerly worn by most regiments. The uniform of most British soldiers of the late 17th century to the 19th century, (other than artillery, rifles and cavalry), included a madder red coat or tunic. From 1872, more vivid shade of scarlet was adopted for all ranks, having been worn only by officers, sergeants, soldiers and cavalry.
The red coat has changed throughout its history to be uniformly regular, a British infantryman in a ceremonial garment. Its official history begins on February 1645, when the English Parliament passed the New Model Army Ordinance. The new British Army (there was not "Britain" until the union with Scotland in 1707) was composed of 22,000 men, divided into 12 regiments on foot of 1200 men each, 11 regiments of cavalry of 600 men each, one dragoon regiment of 1000 men and artillery, consisting of 50 guns. Regiments Infantry wore coats of Venetian red with white facings. However, the uniforms of the Yeoman of the Guard (formed 1485) and Yeomen warders (also formed 1485) have always been in Tudor red and gold indicate that the tradition of English infantry wore red coats are long before the formation of the New Model Army.
Oliver Cromwell wrote to Sir William Spring in 1643: "I'd rather have a plain russet-coated captain who knows what he fights for and loves what he knows, what you call a man and nothing else "(Oxford Dictionary of Quotations)
The adoption and continued use of red by most English soldiers after the Restoration (1660) seems to have been a historical accident, with the relative cheapness of red dyes. There is no basis for the myth that the redcoats were favored because they do not show the bloodstains. The blood does indeed show on red clothing as a black stain.
From the beginning of the facings (lapels, cuffs and collars) layer of red have been changed, according to which regiment the uniform belonged to. Examples were scarlet for the 33rd Regiment infantry, yellow for the 44th Infantry Regiment and buff for the 3rd Regiment of Foot. An attempt at standardization was made after the reforms Cardwell 1881, with English and Welsh regiments having white, Scottish yellow, green and Irish Regiments Royal blue color. However, some regiments were subsequently been able to get the reintroduction of historic colors face that was their sole.
British soldiers fought in scarlet tunics for the last time at the Battle of Gennis December 30, 1885. [1]
Even after the adoption of khaki dress field in 1902, the British infantry and most cavalry regiments continued to wear scarlet tunics on parade and opportunities Rest ("the march of dress"), until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
Scarlet tunics ceased to be general question on the British mobilization in August 1914. The Brigade of Guards for resuming their scarlet dress full time in 1920, but otherwise Army red coats were only allowed to bring in music regiments and officers in mess dress or some limited opportunities social and ceremonial (including participation in the functions of the Court or weddings). Why are not generally reintroducing the distinctive dress complete was primarily financial, as scarlet requires expensive cochineal dye.
As late as 1980, we took into account the reintroduction of scarlet as a replacement for the dark blue "No. 1 dress" and khaki "No. 2 dress" of the modern army British use of chemical dyes and cheaper fadeless instead of cochineal. Opinion surveys to serve soldiers showed little support for the idea and it was abandoned.
In the modern British army, scarlet is still worn by foot guards, bodyguards, and by certain bands of the regiments or drummers for ceremonial purposes. The officers and noncommissioned officers of these regiments which previously wore scarlet keep the color of their "mess" or jackets evening. Some regiments turn out small detachments, such as color guards, in red coat Scarlet and at their own expense. eg the Yorkshire Regiment before the merger.
Scarlet is also booked for a full dress, military band uniforms or disorder in the modern armies of a number of countries that made up the former British Empire. These include Australia, Jamaica, the armies of New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Kenya, Ghana, India, Singapore and Pakistan.
The epithet "red coats" is familiar in much of the former British Empire, even if that color was not exclusive to the British army. Whole army Danish wore red coats until 1848, and in particular units German, French, the Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Bulgarian and Romanian preserved red uniforms until 1914 or later. Among other examples various Spanish hussars, bandsmen Japanese army and Serbian generals had tunics red as part of their gala or court dress. However, the extensive use of that color by the British, Indian and other Imperial soldiers over a period nearly three hundred years in uniform virtual red icon the British Empire. The importance of red military as a national symbol was approved by King William IV (reigned 1830-1837) when light dragoons and lancers had substituted for their scarlet jackets dark blue previous Hussars adopted red capes and even the Royal Navy were forced to adopt red facings instead of white. Most of these changes were reversed under Queen Victoria (1837-1901). A red coat and black tricorn remains part of the ceremony and out-of-hospital gown for pensioners at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
From the modern perspective, the retention of a highly visible color such as red for active service appears inexplicable, regardless is striking, it may have looked at the parade. It should be noted, however, that in the days of the gun (a weapon at close range and accuracy) and black powder, the visibility of the battlefield was quickly obscured by clouds of smoke. Colorful enhanced morale and provided a means of distinguishing friend from foe without significantly adding risk. In addition, the vegetable dyes used until the 19th century would fade over time to a pink or reddish-brown, so on a long campaign in a hot climate, the color was less visible than the modern scarlet shade would be.
As mentioned above, without any historical basis can be found for the suggestion that the color red was favored because demoralizing effect of the alleged blood stains on the uniform of a lighter color. In his book "British military uniforms" (Hamylyn Publishing Group 1968), military historian WY Carman traces in detail the slow evolution of the color red as the English soldier, from the Tudors to the Stuarts. The reasons that emerge are mix of financial resources (less red, brown or purple dyes), the random cultural (a growing popular feeling that Red was the color national English) and simple (an order of 1594 is that the coats be "color as you can provide better"). Training the first standing army (Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army in 1645) saw red clothes as the dress standard. As said Carman (p24) "The Red Coat is now firmly established as the sign of an Englishman. "
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