Figure to assemble and paint
Ref.: 10 – CRV
Weight: 150 grs.
Material: White metal
Number of Pieces: 15
Historical Review:

THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY – 1899.

The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It saw service in both the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret’s Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) which later, in 2004, was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Borderers, the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Cameronians) and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland, becoming the 2nd Battalion of the new regiment.

The regiment was formed as part of the Childers Reforms on 1 July 1881 by the amalgamation of the 71st (Highland) Light Infantry (as the 1st Battalion) and the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot (as the 2nd Battalion) as a City of Glasgow regiment, absorbing local militia and rifle volunteer units. Its exact status was ambiguous: although the regiment insisted on being classed as a Highland regiment without a kilt, it mainly recruited soldiers from Glasgow in the Lowlands.

The 1st Battalion was sent to South Africa in October 1899, following the outbreak of the Second Boer War. The battalion served throughout the war, which ended in June 1902. The 700-man battalion left Durban for Egypt in January 1903 and was subsequently stationed there for the following years.

The 2nd Battalion had participated in the Battle of Tell El Kebir in September 1882 during the Anglo-Egyptian War: Lieutenant William Edwards was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the battle. The battalion was stationed in England from 1883 but moved to India the following year. In February 1900, the battalion left Colombo to return home and in October 1902 was posted to Jersey, but three months later was reassigned to Alderney.

Traditional Highland dress evolved over the centuries to become Scotland’s national costume. Hence the importance of recognising the differences between tartan, plaid and kilt.

Tartan is a fabric with a distinctive pattern of squares and crossed lines in striking colours, making it a symbol of Scottish culture. Today, each Scottish tartan pattern is associated with a clan, a surname or an organisation. Since 2009, there has been an official Scottish tartan register, with at least 7,000 types of tartan with their respective characteristics.

Plaid is the Gaelic word for blanket. Specifically, in the context of ancient Highland clothing, the belted plaid or large shawl (feileadh mor, in Gaelic) was used. It was the first garment identifiable as ‘Scottish’ that became known between the 16th and mid-18th centuries.

The belted plaid was a large piece of fabric gathered at the waist to form pleats and secured with a belt. The lower part hung down to the knees and the upper part could be worn as a cape or hood. Plaids were often made from tartan fabric. Today, for the Scots, the plaid refers to a thin rectangular piece of Scottish tartan worn over the left shoulder, accompanied by an elegant brooch. It is an accessory for Highland Dress suits.

The kilt originated in the first quarter of the 18th century in the Highlands. It evolved from the belted plaid to the “small shawl” (feileadh beag, in Gaelic), which was the lower half of the large blanket. The modern kilt is part of the national costume of Scotland and is – practically – the same feileadh beag as it was then, but with the back pleats sewn in.

The HLI was the only regular regiment in the Highlands that wore tartan trousers as part of their dress uniform. The figure shows a lieutenant colonel on horseback wearing this uniform. He wears a dark green shako with red, white, red and red, green and white chevrons. He wears green laces and a forage cap of the same colour. The visor is black patent leather. A silver thread braid on the top for senior officers, while the colonel wore two braids.

Scarlet jacket with suede lapels and cuffs and Mackenzie tartan trousers. Officers wore squares of the same tartan, while the drill uniform for all ranks consisted of white jackets with green trousers and glengarry caps. He wears the plaid of the same tartan. As he belongs to the 2nd Battalion, he carries the heavy Scottish sword with a closed hilt, while the 1st Battalion carried the simple sword with a cross-shaped hilt. The two lieutenant colonels and the colonel of the regiment, being mounted officers, wear riding boots with their dress uniform.