The artist Harry Payne was a keen observer of military uniform and has revealed useful details in this painting of soldiers of the Norfolk Regiment. The two men are in dress uniform but differ from the earlier McNeill painting in that they have yellow shoulder straps. The sergeant is a veteran of the Boer War, wearing the Queen’s and King’s South Africa medals.
The signaller must have joined the regiment after the Boer War as he has no medals. However, he has a good conduct stripe on his forearm to indicate two years service. The signallers’ proficiency badge has been incorrectly depicted by the artist, as one of the flags should be all blue. The view of his back is valuable for showing details of the bayonet and the bayonet frog. It also shows the pattern of the back skirts of the tunic, which are slash flapped with buttons. This style was reintroduced in 1902, having been discontinued in 1868 when it was replaced by straight white piping on the edges of the vent.
Regimental Details | Uniforms
