A light Infantry company was raised by the regiment while they were in North America in 1769. This illustration was painted by Bob Marrion for Military Modelling magazine in 2002. It is based on the 1781 portrait of Captain Hewitt, who commanded the company from 1778, but the illustration is adapted to show a private of the company. The coat is shorter than that worn by the battalion companies and has shoulder wings on each side. The waistcoat is red, not white as in the other companies. The light infantry cap is probably based on a painting by de Loutherbourg, but there were many different styles adopted by the infantry. The shoulder belts are black leather and he has a priming horn on a string, and on his left side, a hatchet and bayonet.
Light infantry belts were either tan-coloured or black. The red cord running the length of the belt on his left shoulder is for a priming horn. The silver belt plate in the middle is the regiment’s first pattern, oval with a star badge and X in the centre. He has a silver gorget above this, tied around his neck with a yellow ribbon. He holds a special pattern cap which was only worn by the light infantry and varied from one regiment to another. It has a peak and a silver star badge on the front. He holds a musket which has a short socket bayonet attached.
This portrait was reproduced in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research vol LVII no.229 (Spring 1979) with an article by Vincent J-R Kehoe and Major N P Dawnay.
