The child’s coat was made in about 1916 from red material cut from the father’s tunic worn as a soldier in the Boer War. The coat is made of wool with fake fur trimmings around the collar, cuffs, and pockets, probably taken from a muff.
The child’s red coat is a wonderful link between the local Wiltshire regiment and domestic life in Britain. It shows the harsh realities of British colonial warfare juxtaposed with its second use as a child’s coat. The girl who wore it may have ended up being a soldier like her father.
The soldier who wore the scarlet tunic was a member of the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshire (Duke of Edinburgh’s) Regiment, although we sadly know little about him or his family. He joined the regiment in 1895 and served seven years, four of which were in South Africa. The Boer War lasted from October 1899 to May 1902. There were two wars, as the Boers in South Africa (the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmers) sought independence from the British regime. The Boers were good marksmen, and the conflict was harsh, resulting in the use of concentration camps by the British for the captured enemy. Eventually, Khaki was adopted by the British for the second war, as scarlet tunics were too cumbersome and too visible. [i]
The Wiltshire Regiment fought at Rensburg (1900), Bethlehem (1900), and Slabbert’s Nek (1900), before joining anti-guerrilla operations in the Transvaal. There is a memorial to members of the Wiltshire Regiment who were killed in the Boer War in Salisbury Cathedral.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the traditional red woollen uniform of the British Army was becoming recognised as a liability. It was unsuitable for the hot conditions experienced during colonial wars and was too conspicuous. Red uniforms were still being worn for the Zulu Wars in 1897, but by the Boer War, they were being phased out and replaced by khaki uniforms. Red tunics were retained as dress uniforms for ceremonial purposes.
The tunic was brought home from the Boer War and kept by the soldier upon discharge from the army in 1902. During the First World War, it was cut up and made into a child’s coat, with the addition of fake fur trimmings around the collar, cuffs, and pockets, probably from a muff. Three buttons are missing. It is 680mm (26 inches) long, about the size for a five year old.
The style of the coat appears to have been on trend for young children at the time, as it is a common sight in printed images and other collections. During the First World War, there was a shortage of some fabrics. Wool was needed for uniforms and linen for aircraft covering. People were encouraged to adapt and re-use garments, which happened with the child’s red coat in the Salisbury Museum’s collection – an early example of sustainable fashion. Recycling and repurposing continue in many other ways. Many garments worn during official parades like the trooping of the colour, are antiques handed down through generations or recycled. Many swords date back to the Boer War, with buttons on red tunics being recast dozens of times, and some Bearskin caps still have musket ball holes from use in the nineteenth century.[ii]
![Child's red coat with black fur collar and cuffs and pocket trims, With kind permission of Salisbury Museum ©]](https://www.wessexmuseums.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SM-Boer-war-childs-coat-scaled.jpg)
This coat is a curious and challenging subject to research because of its colonial links and because we know very little about its history. It is the only coat of its kind in The Salisbury Museum collection, and the many layers of local social history and general British history can be can discerned from the coat, making it distinctive.
[i] Professor Fransjohan Pretorius, The Boer Wars, from BBC (2011).
[ii] 'What is Trooping the Colour?' (14 June 2023) from Army Mod.
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!