The 9th Lancers adopted the all-gilt pouch at around the time they left Britain and sailed to India in 1842. It would be reasonable to suppose that the new pouch and belt were worn once they were settled in Cawnpore, but they suffered badly from cholera and heat apoplexy soon after they arrived, and in November 1843 were off to fight at Punniar. There would, however, have been time to concentrate on uniform details in 1844-45 before their involvement in the First Sikh War for which they mobilised in December 1845.
The previous pouch was the usual silver light dragoon type but this gilt design replaced it. It retained the gilt badge in the centre, a crown over Adelaide’s cypher, but it was placed on a seeded surface surrounded by a bas-relief border of bound oak-leaves. The top is straight but the lower part of the pouch was shaped like the base of a sabretache. The pouch itself was of red leather.
