NAM.1978-02-37-125

Officer, 3rd Middlesex Artillery Volunteers, 1895 (c) - 1900, showing the officer, a captain, standing in front of a piece of field artillery. Glass negative, W Gregory and Company, London, 1895 (c). When an invasion scare in 1859 led to a flood of volunteers forming new military units to defend Great Britain, artillery volunteers corps were formed. The 3rd Middlesex Artillery Volunteers were raised in 1861 with headquarters in Kennington Lane. It became the 5th London Brigade Royal Field Artillery on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908. This officer wears a full dress uniform and busby. Uniquely the 3rd Middlesex officers wore busby’s made from brown racoon tail fur, with a red bag extending down one side, giving them a distinctive appearance. They gained the nickname ‘Truro’s Tigers’ as a result, referring to Lord Truro who was instrumental in setting up the unit. The tunic is dark blue with a red collar trimmed with gold lace which has silver bullion grenade badges on each side. His elaborate gold lace cuffs and the two pips on his plaited gold shoulder cords denote his rank as a captain. He wears a white pouch belt and his sword is attached to a white leather sword belt. He dark blue overalls have a broad red stripe down the outside seam and are worn over black boots. Behind the captain is a 9 Pounder Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) field gun, which equipped part of the unit at the time. One of a collection of 280 glass negatives, associated with W. Gregory & Co., London, and F. G. O. Stuart, 1893 (c)-1900.