Uniforms for the Zulu Rebellion of 1888

Hello All,

I am looking for information on the uniforms and armament of the following units involved in the 1888 rebellion (specifically at Ceza and Hlophekhulu).

Zululand Police (mounted and dismounted)
Mounted Infantry
Inniskilling Dragoons

Would the infantry and dragoons have been wearing the gray serge uniforms of the Sudan Campaign in 1885, or the later khaki (not sure when this changed over)?

Thanks!

Steve

Hi Myness .
First off welcome to the forum , I hope you enjoy your time with us . A friend of mine emailed me and suggests you grab a copy
of '' Atlas Of The Later Zulu Wars '' by the renowned author John Laband , this is the books ISBN 0869809989 . Here is
the cheapest link I could find in limited time .

http://www.anitabooks-military.co.uk/cat-ancient-19th.php?eg_page=43

I havent dealt with these people , but I've been lucky and never had a problem buying books on the Net . .
Hope this helps .

Cheers 90th .

ps . Apparently this book has many Maps & Illustrations of these Campaigns .

Hi Myness.
This is from the same friend who suggested you get the Laband Book .

The uniform of the Zululand Police (Nongqayi) at this stage was -
Officer (European) - Blue glengarry, blue tunic, white trousers, blue puttees, boots.
Men - Blue glengarry, blue jersey (with white rank chevrons for NCOs), white trousers, blue puttees. Infantry went bare-foot, men on mounted duties hand ankle-boots and spurs. White haversack over right shoulder, leather M-H bandolier over left. White waist belt with bayonet at left rear, one black ammo pouch on right front waist. M-H rifles

6th Dragoons -
Plain blue frock (tunic) with no braiding or coloured facings. Blue trousers with yellow stripes for ORs, gold for officers. Black riding boots, although some photos suggest blue puttees were worn instead. Helmet dyed with tea, coffee etc. In group photos officers seem to be wearing buff riding breeches rather than regulation trousers and some are wearing cavalry-style braided patrol jackets. There are no photos of Troopers fully equipped that I've found but presumably they would have been wearing the usual dirtied white belts, haversack, water bottle etc.

Mounted Infantry
By 1888 Line infantry regiments were wearing post-1881 frocks (red with universal white facing - collar and cuffs). There are photos of MI detachments in Zululand wearing red coats in the 1880s, but in 1888 most of these seem to have been replaced with blue jerseys. Buff riding breeches, leggings, boots, dyed helmets, M-H bandoliers, haversack, water-bottle. Interestingly one 1884 photo clearly shows an MI detachmeant carrying M-H rifles rather than carbines.

Natal Mounted Police
Uniform still largely as per Anglo-Zulu War.

Royal Artillery
The RA too seem to have worn jerseys instead of tunic (these being a popular choice for practical campaign wear in SA at the time, since khaki was not issued there at that stage). Otherwise uniform was as per 1879 (helmet, blue trousers with red stripe etc).

Hope this helps .
cheers 90th.

I picked up the Laband book. Great addition to my library. Thank you for the additional information as well. Extremly helpful!

Steve