The 9th Lancers finished their service in Egypt in 1948 and were stationed in Scotland. In 1949 they provided a guard at Edinburgh Castle and this photo may be from that time. The sergeant wears battledress that was first issued at the beginning of WW2, and, instead of the normal beret, wears a khaki service dress forage cap that had been worn in the inter-war years. The battledress blouse is buttoned to the neck but a few years later the style was changed so that lapels were permanently pressed back and a khaki shirt and tie exposed.
His rank stripes are bright, probably gold-laced, whereas the man next to him has a single drab lance-corporal’s stripe. Both men have silver regimental NCO arm badges, Queen Adelaide’s cypher with King’s crown. He has a white waist-belt which supports a sword scabbard and he carries the 1908 pattern sword. The lance-corporal also appears to hold a sword which suggests that the whole squad are similarly armed. The photo is taken from Cavalry Warrant Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers Arm Badges by D Linaker and G Dine (MHS 1997).
