| This Carte-de Visite was a bit difficult
to sort out. Its back is annotated "corporal 14th Hussars"
in non-contemporary writing.
One important element is the Arm Badge
over the corporal chevrons on his right sleeve ; thisbadge is
called a "Sergeant Arm's Badge" because it was sported
by...Sergeants ! The exception to this rule exists in the 14th
Hussars, where all ranks from Lance Corporal to Staff Sergeant
were entitled to such a badge (as describer by the 24 september
1887 regulations).
Then again, the busby bag on this photo
really looks white. The busby bag of the 14th was yellow, but that
specific shade / fabric always turn out to look darker on
contemporary photographs.
Further research increased doubts as the
14th Hussars' Arm Badge consisted in a Prussian Eagle in an oval
shield - this Carte-de Visite is not the clearest, but the form of
the badge is obviously not oval, being straight at the bottom.
Everything cleared when I found several
references showing corporals from the 19th Hussars, all sporting
an Arm Badge over their two rank chevrons. The badge is in the
form of an elephant, and its base is straight. The 19th Hussars'
busby bag is white - the only such busby bag along with the 13th
Hussars (but this regiment'uniform is highly recognizable with its
white collar). The 1887 regulations indicate that this badge is
for sergeants and staff-sergeants - another example of Hussar non
compliance with regulation ! (to be noted, I have seen late 1890s
photos of corporals with the same pattern, so it is not a case of
discontinued tradition).
So we have a 19th Hussars corporal. He's
wearing one Long Service and Good Conduct chevron, indicating at
least 4 years service. He's wearing it onthe right sleeve, under
the pre-1880 pattern, which helps us to get an idea for the dating.
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