The 1st Battalion sailed to India in October 1875 and were stationed in Fyzabad until 1879 when they were posted to Peshawar and the Khyber Pass. The sergeant is in marching order with white equipment that has been stained khaki. He has a valise on his lower back, and covered mess tins. A blanket is rolled up and carried over his right shoulder. This covers the canvas strap of his haversack. A slim strap on his left shoulder is for his water-bottle. He has a sword bayonet on his left hip, for the Martini-Henry rifle.
The red frock tunic is fastened with five brass buttons, which in 1871 were changed to a General Service universal pattern with the Royal Arms. These buttons replaced regimental buttons that had a crown and 25. The blue collar has no badges and no piping on the cuffs, although the photo of D Company, Fyzabad 1876 shows men wearing the frock with collar badges and a single loop on each cuff.
The foreign service helmet is the 1877 pattern white helmet stained khaki. The sergeant wears blue trousers with a red stripe down the side, covered with puttees. The regiment did not have tartan trews until after 1881.
The illustration is by Hiram Dunn, reproduced by kind permission from Borderers in Uniform from 1689 (Published 2018).
