Samandri
BANNED
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,959
- Reaction score
- -10
- Country
- Location
The bare heights of the Khyber Pass loom brown and arid under the burning blue skies of Pakistan and the Afghanistan border. An occasional old fortress, built to command the pass, blends naturally into the barren hillsides.
It was this dangerous, dust-coloured landscape which in 1848 presented a particular problem to Sir Harry Lumsden, a young British officer with the army in India.
Sir Harry had been ordered to raise a special regiment to deal with frontier troubles and
tribal raids, as part of the
Punjab Frontier Force Brigade.This he had done, forming the famous Corps of Guides.
But Sir Harry’s men all wore the traditional scarlet of British soldiers. In their conspicuous uniforms, Sir Harry realized, they would stand little chance of survival against tribal snipers hidden among the dusty hills. Already British Redcoats had proved themselves an easy target for sharpshooters in the American War of Independence. Here they would find even less chance of cover.
Sir Harry decided to abandon the scarlet coats. Instead he put his men – mostly Pathans
and Punjabis – into cloth dyed the same colour as the landscape. Berries or mud were used, and the regiment had its own dyers to do the job – for
which each soldier contributed a small sum monthly from his pay. The soldiers called the cloth “khaki,” from the Urdu word khak, or dust.
The idea was highly successful. During the Indian Mutiny (1857-8), it spread to other British troops fighting engagements in sandy country. It was used during the Second Afghan War (1878-80), and by
1880 had been adopted by all British regiments in India, who now retained scarlet only for their full, ceremonial dress.
Historical articles and illustrations » Blog Archive » How khaki eclipsed the traditional colours of battledress
It was this dangerous, dust-coloured landscape which in 1848 presented a particular problem to Sir Harry Lumsden, a young British officer with the army in India.
Sir Harry had been ordered to raise a special regiment to deal with frontier troubles and
tribal raids, as part of the
Punjab Frontier Force Brigade.This he had done, forming the famous Corps of Guides.
But Sir Harry’s men all wore the traditional scarlet of British soldiers. In their conspicuous uniforms, Sir Harry realized, they would stand little chance of survival against tribal snipers hidden among the dusty hills. Already British Redcoats had proved themselves an easy target for sharpshooters in the American War of Independence. Here they would find even less chance of cover.
Sir Harry decided to abandon the scarlet coats. Instead he put his men – mostly Pathans
and Punjabis – into cloth dyed the same colour as the landscape. Berries or mud were used, and the regiment had its own dyers to do the job – for
which each soldier contributed a small sum monthly from his pay. The soldiers called the cloth “khaki,” from the Urdu word khak, or dust.
The idea was highly successful. During the Indian Mutiny (1857-8), it spread to other British troops fighting engagements in sandy country. It was used during the Second Afghan War (1878-80), and by
1880 had been adopted by all British regiments in India, who now retained scarlet only for their full, ceremonial dress.
Historical articles and illustrations » Blog Archive » How khaki eclipsed the traditional colours of battledress
