The Story of the Last Redcoats (w/ Ian Knight)
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- The British army of the Victorian era - what is the reality? Was it an outdated institution or a progressive forward thinking one brimming with fresh ideas?
In today’s video I’m speaking to the one and only Ian Knight - author of dozens of books about the British army of the era.
He’s going to explain why the army was slow to reform and what the eventual catalysts were,
How it was forced to adapt in the face of Britain’s growing empire and how we saw the gradual phasing out of those iconic redcoats during the course of the era.
Here is the link to his new book "Warriors in Scarlet" - amzn.to/46LBR6f
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A fascinating time for the develpment of the British army. What did you find interesting and what would you like to see me make more films about?
What impact did the British Army have on the development of other nations armies? And what impact, if any, did other nation's army have on the British Army?
@@memofromessexan interesting topic. Thanks for suggesting.
The opium wars, lots of them and buckets of detail to go into.
The Second Afghan War has become an area of interest for me. Since it happened simultaneously as the Zulu War, it often gets overlooked (BTW, I blame you and Chris Simpson of Forlorn Hope for convincing me to start there before moving on to Egypt with my next projects!). I found it interesting that some regiments, such as the 72nd and 92nd Highlanders, wore khaki, while others maintained red. I don't know if that was just in-theatre, as decided by their commanding officers, or if there was some official change. I believe in Egypt and the Sudan we saw a mix of khaki and red up until the mid 1880s as well.
All that aside, you know I'll be drawn to whatever you cover, Chris. 😊
@@legionarybooks13 thanks mate. Yep definitely want to cover all the Afghan wars in more detail so will keep you posted. Hope all is well and the plans for new books are on track.
Khaki is earth in Persian, and from what I read, some soldiers in India tried to make their red jackets less conspiquous by boiling them in cauldrons full of hot tea. Don't know if this is a legend or really happened, but effectively fighting with european uniforms in hot climates should've been hellish (just ask to the french in Egypt!). Surely colonial wars were pivotal for changing either mentality AND training/tacticts in British army.
Yes, they did try to boil off the red to help out.
From what I've read, British troops in South Africa did something similiar. But instead dyeing their tunics, they would use tea to dye their white gear; their helmets, cartridge belts, and so on, anything that was white.
Sir Harry Lumsden raising the Corps of Guides up in the Punjab around 1846 was given free reign to dress his horse and foot as he saw fit and decided to dye their cotton drill Kurtas a dusty (one of the other definitions of Khaki) blue colour using mulberries as the active ingredient. It suited them in their role of reconnaisance. and raiders on the north west frontiers of india as most of their operations were carried out at dawn or dusk.
Yes, _khāk_ is "earth" in Persian, and _khākī_ "earthy, dusty". Interesting that Lumsden's Guides wore a bluish khaki, I didn't know that, just that he'd chosen khaki as a colour.
By the time the British had introduced tea growing to India they had abandoned red coats......
My Àunt has a collage with 2 photos of my great grandfather in Black Watch . One was taken in either Sudan or Egypt just after Khartoum ,the other was in South Africa late 1890s.. Obvious he's wearing red serge despite not being a colour photo.
In defence of Duke of Wellington, there were no large "Near Peer" wars after Napoleon in his lifetime. Crimean war and wars of Italian and German unification came later. As for technology, huge advance was between Minnie Ball and Krupp Breach Loader, with metal shell bullets, repeating rifles and machine guns in between.
There's several storys about how the red was abandoned and the kaki was adopted. The 'Dirty Shirts' for example date from the Indian Mutiny. Men cast off the tunic and dyed their shirts.
Ian Knight is absolutely brilliant. Witty, urbane and still quite the handsome fellow! Nice one Chris, thanks for this!!
Bill Cosby - whatever one thinks of what he became - nailed it in "The Coin Toss", last line re redcoats:
“General Cornwallis of the British, this is General Washington of the Continental Army.”
“General Washington of the Continental Army, this is General Cornwallis of the British.”
“If you’d shake hands, gentlemen.”
“O.K., British call the toss.”
“British called heads, it is tails.”
“General Washington, what are you gonna do?”
“General Washington says his troops will dress however they wish, in any color, in buckskins and coonskin caps, and hide behind the rocks and trees and shoot out at random.”
“British, you will all wear bright red, all shoot at the same time, and march forward in a straight line.”
Thanks for that - fascinating stuff! Look forward to learning more.
Glad you enjoyed it. Lots more to come over the next few weeks
A transformation from rural to urban population as a result of industrialization and those who cannot find work in the cities is probably what the army can scrape from the "leftovers"👍👍👍Chris
Thanks Jan. glad you found it interesting.
And the incredible irony was that with the massive irish immigration in the USA, in the '40s of 19th century, guess what kind of job a LOT of them found? Pratically they switched the Red of UK with the Blue of the US Army, expecially thanks to the US-Mexican war of the 1845. In the years btw 1845 & 1860, 'til a third of the US Army was composed by people of foreign birth.
@@alessiodecarolisinterestingly I read there were two Irish brothers - one won the VC and the other the MOH!
Super interesting video! Thank you! Regards from Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you very much!
Interesting as this was perhaps the most visible sign of change but it didn't happen in isolation.
I think a good follow up to this would be how the equipment the common soldiers carried/used would add to the change.
I have only just found out about a war with the aborigines of Tasmania.
The Guides regiment in India wore grey or khaki, their job was to scout and not be seen. This was adopted in the Boer war.
Hi. Khaki was used by British troops well before the Boer war. As per the video, some units began to wear khaki during the mutiny and it was very prevalent by 2nd Afghan war. Thanks 👍🏼
The best and biggest army and empire world has ever seen 🇬🇧
I bet you voted for Brexit....
Not biggest - was always small (particularly compared to the continental powers).
@thomasjamison2050 i bet you didn't
@@douglasherron7534 it's documented as the biggest dickhead ,and be thankfull it wasn't the frog bstds who s empire was second biggest 🇬🇧💯✌️
@@thomasjamison2050 absolutely rite just like most proper people did .
Brilliant as always Chris and Ian.
Thanks 👍 much appreciated. Ian is a top bloke.
Great content again and as usual thanks for sharing Chris.
You are always welcome! A new video coming out later today.
Great video, as always!
Thanks Ryan!
How about weapons of the period? The practical ranges of say smooth bore muskets to a rifle?
A breakdown of artillery? From that era I can name the 12 lb. Napoleon and nothing else.
Drunk for a penny,
Dead drunk for two.
Great video Christian! I noticed none of the comments mention the American War of Independence. Isn't there a case there for saying that - although change took decades - commanders in the field noted that Americans wore clothing in colour closer to their surroundings so were harder to see than British troops wearing bright red /contrasting/ with their surroundings?
This quote from Sir Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment seems apt:
“But I see you're not standing in a bleedin' shadow, Perks, nor have you done anything to change your bleedin' shape, you're silhouetted against the bleedin' light and your sabre's shining like a diamond in a chimney-sweep's bleedin' ear'ole! Explain!"
"It's because of the one C, sarge!" said Polly, still staring straight ahead.
"And that is?"
"Colour, sarge! I'm wearing bleedin' red and white in a bleedin' grey forest, sarge!”
― Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Re drinking water not alcohol. IIRC a lot of people in civilian life drank beer as it was safer than the water. Then being in the habit of drinking alcohol they carried the habit through to the army. Later on there was a better understanding of bacteria being spread in water supplies, and cleaner water was made available; /then/ the habit of drinking alcohol decreased over time.
Thanks Julian. Really glad that you enjoyed it. Appreciate the info.
That's only partiall true. From what I understood, militia troops would wear whatever clothes they had, some of which may have indeed been in more earth colors. But when it came to the regulars of the Continental Army, they would wear uniforms in the same style as other European militaries with blue being the primary color of their tunics.
@@redcoathistory Hi Christian.. is Riceball01 correct? I've never known troops when in uniform to wear any colour other than their own. The thought occurs that especially in Spain it would be a great way to get shot as an enemy if you were lucky, or captured and killed slowly by Spanish guerillas.
@@julianmhall hi mate - In fairness British troops had worn a mix
Of colours for a while. Eg. Riflemen In green and artillery, cavalry, engineers etc all in different uniforms so I think red had been one of many colours for a while but is obviously most well known due to line infantry and guards regiments etc all wearing red (scarlet). Hope that helps?
@@redcoathistory Hiya Christian.. all true so perhaps I should have said the main line infantry regiments - although I thought the British Cavalry also wore red? I know the engineers wore blue.. artillery too?
That being the case I think you'd be daft to casually tramp past a Napoleonic era British picket whilst wearing a blue engineer's tunic and not at the very least expect a challenge.
The temperance movement didn't work! When I was in the RAF we drank like fishes and so did the Army chaps that I met!
Well, if nobody in the future remembers the Zulu War of 1879, it won't be Ian Knight's fault.
Very good point!
And yet they still had soldiers fighting in skirts until the day mud started sliding up their knickers.
In the Crimean war two major developments took place medical revision under Nightingale and Seacole and logistic delivery by railway erected by civilian pioneers. This allowed dispersal of ammunition and food to troops from the supply ships.
At home towards end of 19th century there was the development of a camp to become Aldershot.
Finally looking abroad the were the German wars of unification which had broadly success for Prussian arms in part with the assembly of a Genera Staff. This latter became a source of ongoing argument until the Duke of Cambridge stepped down and the army became led, eventually by a Chief of Staff. This was important because up to then the Army had been the Sovereign’s weapon hence the oath of allegiance. The Navy was ruled by the Navy Board and had no oath of allegiance to the Sovereign.
Seacole had absolutely nothing to do with "medical revision" - that's merely revisionist history working!
@@douglasherron7534 I use this as a generic term rather than a specific history. She had no influence or access to parliamentary circles but she was there on the ground assisting the troops which can be reasonable described in modern terms which consider medical and mental matter in a broader whole. I revise nothing readers who wish to know more may use such items as indicated as reference points. Many readers are highly intelligent people who are use of such references. I use such items to research and extend my own library on many items not just military history and I expect you do as well. History is as it was. Apologies for what is past or or rewriting it to suit modern conditions does not alter the event though in some circumstances references to discovered accounts can give better or more understanding explanations. There were other women who made representations - Mrs Duberly for example and they all assisted in bringing aid to troops who lay on a dreadful landscape in awful conditions and died not just from bullet and shell wounds but disease and infection and just lack of warm food and blankets. I have had mild hypothermia in the forces- it ain’t fun!
@@glynluff2595 You wrote "two major developments took place medical revision under Nightingale and Seacole...".
While I agree that Mary Seacole assisted wounded soldiers in the field, she did absolutely nothing at all to revise medical provision, or improve the nursing profession. To claim otherwise is an absolute lie as can be easily proven - particularly from her own (published) biography.
Florence Nightingale on the other hand absolutely did make major revisions to medical provision - and the nursing profession - not to mention her ability as a statistician (and it's importance in her reforms).
@@douglasherron7534 No,No! You are not reading the grouping directly. The women were one and the railway was the other. This is now terminated as a discussion because I will not respond to abuse.
@@glynluff2595 The women and "medical revision" were one as I clearly stated. I did not even mention the railway as I knew that was the second. Thus, I did read the grouping "directly" (or should that be "correctly"?).
By "abuse" I assume you are talking about me blowing your Seacole argument to bits by stating facts? And BTW, you did respond....
During the first Boer war, the Boere saw British troops as easy red targets,moving in a straight line, easy pickings.
I’ve done an entire series of films on the Transvaal war uou May find interesting 👍🏼
Òops. Did they leave out Canada? Only second biggest country in th world?.
Sure! „Something new around the world“! 😂 Green Mountain Rangers, 1776! 🤔 In case you dont know,…. just keep quite!
Feel free to actually watch the film 👍🏼
My heart goes out to all those poor souls that had nothing and gave everything for the inbreds running the place.
Didn't know you were ex military yourself, that is until you gave away that you were a gopping pongo by putting "ally" on the screen in regards to your merch 😂 haha
I always give a thumbs up to this brilliant channel.
Very much appreciated!
Interesting. A superpower imposing itself on people armed with traditional weapons and some fire arms, forcing said Superpower to change tack. The first main lessons took place in 1750s America. It took the Brits a long time to learn and re learn after defeats like Braddock's, Fort Par, Isandlwana, Maiwand and many smaller battles. The empire wasn't fought against super powers but rather people that they underestimated and despised. British exceptionalism 😁. Hope I haven't offended anyone.
Dear Vince - If your comment had anything to do with the content of the video then we could engage and exchange friendly information...sadly you seem to be here simply to argue which I have neither the time nor the energy to do. I wish you all the best and hope things work out.