Uniforms of the “Highland Laddies” foreign service

Keith Nairn-Munro continues his series of articles on the Highland Regiments

- Keith Nairn-Munro

In the British Army until the latter part of the 1800s, there was really no such thing as a designated Foreign Service uniform. Primarily the soldier wore exactly the same garb for all climes and conditions, whether it was at home or abroad.

For the Highland regiments their unique attire was really pride over practicality. Their insistence on retaining the kilt resulted in the soldiers enduring, what many might have deemed as unnecessary hardships. Yet when in 1804 it had been mooted that the kilt should be replaced by trousers, the suggestion was met with outrage.

Certainly as a protector from very cold weather it appears to have been less than satisfactory. In the Peninsular War during the retreat to Coruna and the first winter in the Crimea, the soldiers suffered immeasurable distress.

One veteran of the Crimea campaign recalled the younger members of the regiment in tears, due to the pain in their knees from the cold. In fact in such cold weather there were instances of damp kilts freezing solid around the soldiers’ legs, causing their knees to be cut and chapped. It has to be remembered the kilt these soldiers wore, in terms of quality, was a very far cry from the all-encompassing plaid so beloved by the Highland Clansmen.

It must have been a nightmare crossing flooded ditches or streams, as the kilt would float up on the water’s surface and when wet or muddy it became heavy and took a very long time to dry. It was not unusual for the wet kilts to be removed for drying purposes, while the soldier marched in his great coat in order to protect his modesty.

The uniform we are so familiar with today developed initially for reasons of practicality, as the original plaid was deemed too cumbersome for active service. Thus the kilt became shorter as did the jacket.