Uniform

Post WW2 Officers Blues	Post WW2 Officers Battle Dress
World War I Service Dress Jacket The jacket belonged to Signal Sergeant C R Allcock, 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry. It is made of a wool/drab khaki mixture and has pleated breast pockets, reinforced shoulders and shoulder straps, a collar which was closed with hooks and eyes. It was buttoned down the front with five General Service buttons and was worn with a flat topped khaki cap with peak, trousers with puttees (a kind of bandaging which began at the ankle and ended below the knee) and boots. Pattern 1914 leather belts would have been worn on top to hold equipment and ammunition and from which other webbing and equipment bags were hung (gas mask for example). A steel helmet would have been worn during combat. The crossed flags just above the sergeant’s strips indicated Sergeant Allcock was a Signaller, in charge of communications. We know very little about him other than he survived the war.
c1905 DY Other Ranks Blue patrol jacket. You can just make out the outline of the scarlet gorget on the collar of the Trooper to the right D(I)Y Other Ranks circa 1900-14 patrol jacket. Derbyshire Yeomanry c1911, note that the Troop Corporal and Troopers are wearing Sam Browne belts with their blues and the cuff has 3 buttons.
DIY Patrol Jacket 1901.
	The officers wore, in undress, a crossbelt and sword belt that was made from red Russia leather. The Patrol jacket (pre 1900) seen in the left picture and below is a pleated Dragoon jacket with pockets on the chest under the pleats. The older officers still wear the Gold Lace double leg stripes, whilst the younger officers wear the double red stripe on the breeches and overalls.
Lt Col P Mosley DYC, 1897.

Officer group 1900

The Derbyshire Yeomanry Cavalry also wore a Dragoon pattern "Astrakhan" patrol jacket (pictured above) from c1884, this stopped for the other ranks around 1900. The Officers still wore theirs as an alternative jacket for Mess Dress. Its unclear when this practice stopped. Astrakhan fur comes from the Persian Black sheep and is used for its tight warm black fur (often seen on Russian Cossack hats).

The transition period of the gold lace double stripe to red stripes on the overalls and breeches can be seen here in c1895.

In this picture of the DYC "Astrakhan" patrol jacket you can see two detachable cords that hang from the shoulder button to the opposite top breast button. Quite what function these items performed, other than display, is unclear. You can also see the three arm chevrons, in mohair braid, on the sleeve of the jacket. Some jackets display 3 chevrons and some 2.

It is thought that the DYC officers followed the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoon Guards in uniform pattern (as pictured above). The 6th Dragoons had the Hussar pattern Austrian knot for the junior officers and the Light Dragoon cuff for the Field officers. The other "regular" Dragoon Regiments had the more complicated Dragoon pattern knots on their cuffs (War Office Dress Regs c1900). The 6th Dragoons Mess Waistcoat was also adopted by the DYC in 1894.

Sir Peter C Walker, Bart c1902

Wearing the uniform of a DYC Captain.

The officer above is in full dress c 1885, you can see his gold (oak leaf) leg stripes. His helmet is as described in the above section for head dress (but with VR cypher). His jacket is edged with gold Russia braid with scarlet cuff and collar and field officer rank embroidered in gold. The Jacket tail will have dragoon pattern  button design. The cross belt and sword belt as seen below. The crossbelt is also illustrated with a silver pricker plate and boss. The Sabretache shows a gilt rose with crown. Horse furniture: All leather is brown with standard yeomanry fittings, the bridle boss might be of DYC pattern. The bridle plume is white over red horse hair from a gilt "onion". The officers gloves are short cuff brown leather (some other Yeomanry Dragoon regiments wore the heavy cavalry gauntlet). The image to the right shows the later red double striped breeches.

DY Trooper in 1965 post amalgamation, the white cross belt is correct for formal occasions but it should be worn with a white waist belt as well. The Trooper would wear a brown saddle leather crossbelt along with a brown saddle leather sword belt (worn on the outside of the jacket) in undress. Note the "VR" cypher on this helmet indicating that it was not updated in 1902; and also note the helmet spike indicating its an other ranks helmet with the white on red other ranks horse hair plume. The "dress" jacket displays the Dragoon cuff Austrian knots but its not clear if this jacket is actually an original DY, it is more likely to be "Royal Horse Guards" (The Blues)pre 1969.

Here, in a print by Simpkin c1885, you can see the saddle leather crossbelt and sword belt on the undress jacket. The jacket has gold edged red shoulder straps, red collar and cuff with no braiding. The front edge of the jacket has red piping with 10 yellow metal buttons (9 shown in the more modern jacket). The breeches are blue with double red stripe leading onto the v-cut field boot. Note there is no Austrian knot on the cuff point and in the picture below of a Trooper in review order it is evident. It may have been that there was a "Review" Jacket and a "Field" jacket.

DYC Trooper circa 1880.

circa 1890, DYC Trooper in Review Order.

An Officer of the Derby & Chaddesden Hussars Troop, in undress circa 1860.

(Possibly, Captain John G Crompton)

North Derbyshire Yeomanry, Alfreton troop, 1820s

This Blue Shell-Jacket is part of the uniform of Captain John Chambers, of the Alfreton town troop of the Derbyshire Yeomanry. It is made up of a type of hat called a shako and a light dragoon style jacket. The braiding and stitching on the uniform are of solid silver thread. The uniform also includes buckskin riding breeches, a waistcoat with silver lace and a 1796 pattern light cavalry sword still in use in the 1820s.

There was no standardisation of uniform in the 1800s and officers who could afford it could embellish their jackets with fancy braiding or epaulettes.

The Derbyshire Fencible Cavalry c1800

Radbourne Troop, Derby & Chaddesdon Troop, and Repton & Gresley Troop

The above shows the three uniform types of each individual Troop of the Derbyshire Fencible Cavalry, the first being Lancer and the other two as Hussars.