MILITARY UNIFORM.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2262, 17 June 1880, Page 2

MILITARY UNIFORM.

We would seriously recommend to the perusal of those at whose suggestion the Volunteers of New Zealand arc about to be converted into “ Scarlet runners ” the following article from the London '‘Standard”:—The Brighton Review ought not to bo without many lessons from a military point of view. Of course it was only to be expected that with such an enormous gathering as upwards of 20,000 Volunteers, many blunders would be committed. [Regiments fired into their friends on Brighton Downs, and soldiers have been known to do the same thing in actual warfare, whether under the iuilucncc of strong excitement, or from accidental causes which it is impossible sometimes to forscc. But there . wore other defects than mistakes, such as firing into members of (he wrong Force, observable at (ho Brighton [Review.

One of the most noticeable was the predominance of brilliant scarlet uniforms. Wherever scarlet coats appeared upon (he brown hill sides they furnished a sure mark for sharpshooters of the opposing side. The bright red made a glaring contrast with the livid, and was easily discernible at the distance which can bo commanded by the rifles of the present day. It is now some years ago since the attention of the military authorities was directed to the dangerous prominence which scarlet uniforms gave to men in the iicld, and the Indian Government lost little time in introducing a salutary practical reform in the dress of its troops when on actual service. Luring the present campaign in Afghanistan such a thing as a red coat is scarcely to bo seen, if at all. With the exception of the Ghoorkas, who retain their dull green uniforms, and the European cavalry, who arc allowed to wear their ordinary dresses, the great majority of the troops arc invested in what arc called Jihal'ce, a lightish brown colour, which has been found invaluable from its semblance to most grounds, and the difficulty of recognising the wearers of it at any considerable distance. It would, perhaps, be too much to expect that our Volunteers, in order to prepare them for serious work, should he dressed in but, at all events, it would bo advisable to discourage the use of glaring uniforms, which in practical business would only call down destruction upon the wearers. It is all very well, for show purposes, to have attractive dresses for our civilian soldiers; but in these patriotic times there arc few Volunteers who would not concede that certain eventualities ought to be regarded, and that hi the case of these

eventualities dark uniforms would hoof much more practical use than gorgeous apparel.