Most drum-majors continued to dress ostentatiously, exchanging the bicorn hat for a tall bearskin cap c1828. This Simkin illustration shows a much plainer uniform here. The 1857 pattern tunic replaced the tailed coatee with its laced front. It has shoulder wings but no lace on the sleeves and back seams as worn by the drummer. The most notable thing about this drum-major is the silver figure of Britannia on the top of the mace which was probably the 1st Battalion mace. The yellow sash on his left shoulder is heavily embroidered and laced. The sash on the right appears to be the one that Simkin observed for the illustration. Britannia is embroidered on a red backing and surrounded by battle honours and a wreath. An enlarged detail gives more information.
The drummer’s uniform is indistinct in this reproduction taken from the online History https://archive.org/details/norfolkregimentvol2/page/n239/mode/2up
The red tunic is decorated with a special pattern lace that was worn from 1859 to 1871 which had a black line running along its length as a memorial to Sir John Moore whose burial was attended by the regiment in January 1809.
Regimental Details | Band and Drummers
