The Hampshire Carabiniers adopted a new dress uniform after the Boer War. The date for this change is unclear, perhaps as early as 1903. The previous uniform had been a blue tunic with blue facings and silver lace, but the move towards imitation of the 6th Dragoon Guards went much further with the new pattern that had white facings and gold lace. This was not an exact copy of the 6th DG tunic but it was close. The intricate gold braid patterns on the sleeves, for majors, lieutenant-colonels and colonels, followed the light dragoon pattern, similar to the 6th DG as both regiments were a hybrid of light and heavy dragoon. The collar has gold broken bias lace all around, traced by a line of braid, so that only a small amount of white shows.
The pouch-belt followed regimental tradition, having been unchanged since at least the 1840s. The gold train lace had a white silk central line that looked silver. The fittings and the pouch flap were hallmarked silver. The waist-belt for the new uniform was now worn over the tunic so had to be of similar pattern to the pouch-belt. The clasp is a frosted gilt rectangle with a bimetal regimental badge. White piping traces the edge and hem of the tunic and the gold shoulder cords have white cloth backing. Although officers’ uniforms made the change c1903-4 the uniforms of other ranks took a few years longer.
This tunic belonged to Major Arthur Carleton Nicholson and was sold at DNW auctioneers in May 2019.
