Red Smoking Jacket

Red Coat or Redcoat is a term often used to describe a soldier in the British army history, because of the color of military uniforms, which were worn by most regiments. The uniform of British troops from most of the late 17th century to 19th century, (other than artillery, rifles and cavalry), included a madder red coat or Coated. From 1872, the deepest shade of red has been adopted for all ranks, having been worn only by officers, sergeants and cavalry soldiers.

The red coat has changed throughout its history to be uniformly regular, a British soldier a vestment. Its official history begins in February 1645, when the English Parliament passed the New Model Army Ordinance. The new British Army (there was not Great Britain "until the union with Scotland in 1707) was composed of 22,000 men, divided into 12 infantry regiments of 1,200 men each, 11 regiments of cavalry of 600 men each, one dragoon regiment of 1000 men and artillery, with 50 guns. The infantry regiments wore coats of Venetian red with white facings. However, the uniforms of the Yeoman of Guard (formed 1485) and Yeomen warders (also formed 1485) have always been red and gold Tudor and indicate that the tradition of English infantry wearing red coats may be well 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 that 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, helped by 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. Blood does in fact show on red clothing as a black spot.

From an early stage the facings (lapels, cuffs and collars) to the red coat was changed, according to which regiment the uniform belonged to. Examples were scarlet for the 33rd Regiment of Foot, yellow for the 44th Infantry Regiment and buff for the 3rd Infantry Regiment. An attempt at standardization was made after the Cardwell reforms of 1881, with English and Welsh regiments having white, Scottish yellow, green and Irish regiments Royal blue color. However, some regiments were subsequently able to get the reintroduction of historic colors face that had been their sole.

The British soldiers fought in scarlet tunics for the last time at the Battle of Gennis December 30, 1885. [1]

Even after the adoption of the dress khaki field in 1902, the British infantry and most cavalry regiments continued to wear scarlet tunics on parade and for the rest opportunities ("how to dress") until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Scarlet tunics ceased to be a general question on the British mobilization in August 1914. The Brigade of Guards resumed wearing their scarlet full dress in 1920, but for the rest of the Red Army coats were only allowed to wear the regimental band and officers in mess dress or on certain limited social or ceremonial occasions ( including participation in the functions of the Court or weddings). Why are not generally reintroducing the distinctive full dress was primarily financial, as scarlet requires expensive cochineal dye.

As recently as 1980, consideration was given to the reintroduction of scarlet as a replacement for the dark blue "No. 1 dress" and khaki "No. 2 dress" of the modern British Army, using cheaper and fadeless chemical dyes instead of cochineal. Studies of serving soldiers opinion showed little support for the idea and it was abandoned.

In the modern British Army, is still worn by Scarlet.