British Red Coats

Why did the British wear red coats in battle?

During the recent royal wedding, the millions around the world saw that Prince William chose to wear a uniform that included the famous British "red coat."

Many people have asked, "Why did the British wear red coats in battle?"
A long time ago, Britain and France were at war.
During one battle, the French captured a British Colonel.
They took him to their headquarters, and the French General began to question him.
Finally, as an afterthought, the French General asked, "Why do you British officers all wear red coats?
Don't you know the red material makes you easier targets for us to shoot at?"

In his casual, matter-of-fact, way, the officer informed the General that the reason British officers wear red coats is so that if they are wounded,
the blood won't show, and the men they are leading won't panic.


And that is why, from that day forward, all French Army officers wear brown trousers.

I always thought it was because muskets (remember this is before rifles) were so inaccurate, that if you actually aimed at something you would surely miss.
The red coat was so obviously a target and aiming at it so natural that the shooter invariably missed.

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Originally Posted by ian

I always thought it was because muskets (remember this is before rifles) were so inaccurate, that if you actually aimed at something you would surely miss.
The red coat was so obviously a target and aiming at it so natural that the shooter invariably missed.

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Interesting. Never thought about that.

i think it predates guns of any sort and was originally for appearance sake ... later, red became the standard over blue or green because red dye was cheaper

regards david

interestingly, the development of dalmation dogs is a parallel ... originally footmen were decked out in fancy uniforms and walked behind the carriages of the gentry ... to put up a good appearance ... as roads improved, they couldn’t keep up and rode on the back of the carriages ... the gentry looked for something fancy and came up with flash looking dogs ... the average punter figures they were selected for strength and endurance, which they certainly have developed over time but they were, indeed, originally selected and bred for the spots

regards david

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Originally Posted by robbygard

i think it predates guns of any sort and was originally for appearance sake ... later, red became the standard over blue or green because red dye was cheaper

regards david

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Yep it was all appearance but not because it was cheaper but more expensive.

In a fantastic book called "RED", which is about the history of Red clothing dye, the author discusses how "red dye that lasted" (i.e. did not faded) was extremely expensive. Only one dye was more expensive and that was purple. Only royalty or very wealthy people could afford to buy red dyed clothing - bishops wore red and cardinals wore purple.
Hence any empire that could afford to supply their entire armies with red coats MUST be all wealthy and powerful.

The source of the brightest and most lasting red dye was the cochineal beetle which grew only on a specific cactus in central and Southern America. large plantations of these cacti were established by the spanish to enhance production and because of the value of the dye the plantations had to be guarded by arms to prevent the beetles and cacti being stolen. Initially the Spanish had a stranglehold on the supply and closely guarded their sources but it was constantly pillaged fron Spanish ships on their way to Europe by English privateers and the English navy. A ship containing extracted cochineal dye could sometimes be more valuable than one that contained precious metals. The English with the help of a frenchman eventually stole enough of the cacti and beetles to set up huge cochineal plantations around the world but especially in India. They carefully controlled supply/pricing to sideline other suppliers so many of them went out of business.

This all started to unravel in the mid 1800's when German chemists invented much cheaper synthetic dyes and suddenly anyone could have bright coloured clothing. Many poor folks especially in the US suddenly could purchase brightly coloured clothes instead of drab greys and browns. The term "Coloured Folks" does not originate from their skin colour (there were other more derogatory terms used for them) but the fact that they wore brightly coloured clothing.

BTW The book is a great read.

Part of the reforms that created the New Model Army was to give all the soldiers the same uniform, rather than every regiment being different.These uniforms were supplied and paid for by Parliament, acquired from several different private contractors. As always, the government bought from the lowest bidder - and it so happened that a dye called 'Venetian red' was the cheapest on the market in those days. So the army of Parliament was dressed in red coats because that was the lowest-cost option.

After the Civil Wars were over, the restored monarchy carried on supplying red uniforms for the same reason - they were cheaper. After a while, though, what began as a mere matter of practicality became a proud tradition. British soldiers won battles all over the world and conquered an Empire wearing red uniforms, so the red coat was associated with British military glory.

Even so, once the rifle was invented and replaced the musket as the main weapon on the battlefield, the British army was one of the first to realise that wearing bright colours on the battlefield was no longer a good idea.

It looks like the more expensive Red from Cochineal was reserved for the officers uniforms.

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Infantry sergeants, some cavalry regiments and many volunteer corps (which were often formed from prosperous middle-class citizens who paid for their own uniforms) used various mock scarlets; a brighter red but derived from cheaper materials than the cochineal used for officers coats. Various dye sources were used for these middle quality reds, but lac, pigment extracted from the vegetable resin shellac, was the most common basis. The noncommissioned officer's red coat issued under the warrant of 1768, was dyed with a mixture of madder-red and cochineal to produce a "lesser scarlet"; brighter than the red worn by other ranks but cheaper than the pure cochineal dyed garment purchased by officers as a personal order from military tailors. Officers' superfine broadcloth was dyed true scarlet with cochineal, a dye derived from insects. This was a more expensive process but produced a distinctive colour that was the speciality of 18th-century English dyers.

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Hey
let's not forget this is a thread in the JOKE forum

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Originally Posted by ian

Hey
let's not forget this is a thread in the JOKE forum

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Yeah but let's not allow a joke get in the way of some interesting facts.

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Originally Posted by BobL

Yeah but let's not allow a joke get in the way of some interesting facts.

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of course not. But an earlier post of mine was in line with this section of the forum :wink:


when talking costs, as recently as the 1980s, many British Officers were expected to have an independent income. This expectation extended to the material used and tailoring of their uniforms.
(I'm not sure if this expectation continues through till today -- it might for units like the Household Calvary. The guys who ride around in shiny armour.)

Another true story about red and purple dyes relates way back to the times of Alexander the Great. He was renowned as one of the greatest Generals of all time and this was put down to the use of dyes in warfare. His strategy was always to attack the enemy on as many fronts as possible and Alexander was able to get his troops in place surrounding his intended city and even at midnight could coordinate his troops to all attack at once with devastating success and effect.
His secret was that the alchemists of the day had developed a unique red dye that when saturated on cloth the cloth would change to purple after about three hours. He would get his troops in place and the leaders of each battalion would ride back to Alexanders tent and each leader would tie some cloth on their wrist and dip it into the dye. They would ride back to their respective battalions and when they saw the material change colour to purple they could all attack simultaneously. This strategy he used to great success all the way through Asia Minor.
Later on these pieces of cloth were known as Alexanders Rag Time Bands.

That's "a long way to tipperary".

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Originally Posted by Ruddy

these pieces of cloth were known as Alexanders Rag Time Bands.

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That was so bad it was good

When I was granted a commission in the Canadian Army reserves in the mid 60's (no, not the 1860's) I was expected to purchase my own dress uniform - "Blues" - and Officer's boots.

'Twas the same in Australia, at least in the early noughties, officers were expected to purchase their [Full Dress] uniform and winter mess kit. The mess kit might be worn two or three times per year, and the Full Dress uniform maybe once every second or third year.