British & KGL Hussars In Spain

[Dr Dave]

So, simple question: pelises on or off?

Any views, or better still – evidence?

[Charge The Guns]

Mm.  Spain. Sounds a bit hot.  I think I’d like to have my pelisse off and flowing in the breeze.  I say “off”.

In the Osprey ‘Wellington’s Light Cavalry’ all of the hussars have it “off”.

[Dr Dave]

Ahhhh. You misunderstand. Not worn over the shoulder. I mean pelise totally absent, back with the regt baggage or in camp. Not worn. Missing. Gone. Sans pelise so to speak.

[Big Al]

I thought they were light dragoons and became hussars later. In which case, they wouldn’t have peilises. Becoming hussars was a fashion thing, so possibly had them because they liked to strut and show off.

Really IO is your man for this.

[Dr Dave]

The 3x KGL hussar regts are full on proper hussars. There are British regts listed as light dragoons, but they dress as hussars. But from 1810-1813 it’s only the KGL hussars in Spain anyway. Then in 1813  British brigade of 3 regts arrived. Either way, they are real hussars with all the trimmings.

I’ve done 3x french hussar regts in campaign dress – so pelises gone and several in the kinski coat with no sabretaches. But, I can’t find a definitive comment on the dress state of British / KGL hussars.

I’ll PM IO – thanks for the tip.

[invisible officer]

PM sent. 😉

Yes,  the original Light Dragoons had Hussar Dress in Peninsula. Before there was a slow Change from light dragoon Dress in 1st and 2nd.    The 3rd Regiment was the first to appear completely in hussar fashion, as its colonel Johann Georg v. Reden procured fur to add to the pelisse, introduced the fur cap and allowed the wearing of moustaches, something uncommon in the English army.

KGL Hussar headwear were fur caps or camp caps, off duty the officers wore cocked hats.

 

 

So only the heavy ones did a Dress Change in 1813. On paper, the OR  got the LD Dress only post Peninsular war.

 

 

All nations hussars rode in hot summer without Pelisse. Not wanting to die on heat stroke.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by invisible officer.

[Dr Dave]

Thanks IO, your word on the KGL is good enough for me. Pelisses left off it is.

[invisible officer]

Well, hmmmm.  The problem is Action dress. The slung pelisse cave some protection against sword cuts as did the busby and Tschako.

 

So many Hussars came to the dance without but put them on directly before action.

 

But doing the classic  hussar work – scouting?   Riding for hours in heat and dust?

[Dr Dave]

Oh Lord! What to do? I was pondering a compromise and use “green stuff” to add fur trim to their dolmans so that it would look as though they were wearing the pelisse, perhaps over the dolman. The problem there is that the figures are a little slender, so it might not end up with the necessary bulk of a pelisse over a dolman. It might be time for some experiments…

[Author]

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