1812 - 1812: 41st Regiment of Foot Uniform

1812: 41ST REGIMENT OF FOOT OFFICER’S UNIFORM

In August 1799, the 41st Regiment was deployed to Canada. However, their hopes of an early return home were shattered when the United States declared war in 1812. This led to an extended stay for the regiment in Canada. During this time, the 41st Regiment, with support from Canadian forces, gained distinction as one of the few British lion regiments that played a crucial role in defending Canada from being absorbed into the United States of America. Throughout the challenging campaign, the 41st Regiment received reinforcements from the second battalion, and the two battalions combined to form a single formidable force. They actively engaged in military operations until the end of the war in December 1814, contributing significantly to the defence and preservation of Canadian territory. The dedication, bravery, and joint efforts of the 41st Regiment and their Canadian counterparts played a vital role in safeguarding Canada’s sovereignty during this period.

Headwear

The officer would have worn a beaver fur woollen felt Belgic style shako. It was adorned with a white over red feather hackle on the right side to signify that he commands a “Line Company”. The Shako has a gold-plated shako plate which displayed the regiment’s insignia, as well as golden bullion shako cords.

Coatee

A 41st Regiment Officer would have worn a new design wool coatee that has short tails and gold bullion lace (ribbon) around the double breasted button holes. The early war regulations for the 41st Regiment of Foot called for silver lace with a black worm (thick thread) running in the middle of the lace. The uniform is unique to the 41st Regiment as it has rare red facings. Soldiers would have worn a white cross-over belt, which held their sword and bayonet on the left side.

Bottoms

These trousers are made of grey doeskin with a stripe of golden metallic bullion down the outside seam. They were cut in a loose-fitting style, providing ease of movement for the soldiers. They had no pockets except for one to carry his watch in, usually on the right hand side at the coatee hem level. Officers of the British Army adopted rubber boots called wellingtons. These waterproof boots provided excellent protection against wet and muddy conditions.