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Old 30-07-18, 01:23 AM
Lancer 17 Lancer 17 is offline
Member 2010-21- Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Melbourne Australia.
Posts: 1,459
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Hi Keith

Thanks for that, I take it that your records extend to Pre Fed times, which is good to know.

Looking at the photograph of the Castlemaine company from the 1860's they are all but 1 wearing the straight jacket with a single row of buttons down the front, there is one man on the left in a frogged uniform. Where as in the photo on page 103 of the Carlton Rifle Co Circa 1861 they are wearing the frogged uniform as seen in BC's original photo. So maybe this is the answer. George Wards book shows the Carlton Rifles as being armed with Lancaster rifles in the years from 1863 to 1874, only 577/450 Martini Henry rifles were issued in the years 1879 and 1883. They were disbanded in 1884. That therefore appears to date the photograph to the period 1863 to 1878.

George gives no description of the uniform but it may have been in a variety of Rifles Green. I have a photograph from the Herald Sun newspaper dated 28th May 1998 of the Melbourne University Regiment which dates back to the Mt Alexander Rifles of the 1850's, two men are wearing "period' uniforms and a young lady wears modern Aust Cam uniform. The officer wears the "frogged" type of uniform with toggles, as used on a duffle coat, and a small circular hat (not a Kepi) with a bugle but no number, not like that in the photograph. He is armed with a sword with an 1822 type 3 bar hilt and wears waist belt (about 50mm wide) with a snakes clasp, the other man is wearing the straight fronted uniform with a single row of buttons down the front and a similar waist belt and hat. He is armed with an 1856 pattern Charles Lancaster .577 muzzle loading rifle and the rifle has the bayonet fitted. Both uniforms are in a dull green colour

BC I will email you copies of all the photographs.

Regards

Phil.

Last edited by Lancer 17; 30-07-18 at 04:48 AM.
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