Shako like the troops, but the peak with a gilded metal edging, gilded "Horn & Crown & ditto "Lion's Heads" & chin-scales, cockade with gold "Loop"; around the top a gold lace, as follows: a lace of 30 "stripes" with a second lace of 12 "stripes" for senior officers, a lace of 30 "stripes" for Captains and one of 20 "stripes" for Lieutenants.

A white plume in a gold ball for officers of the Corps Staff, like the men's for others. Gold cords. The "Army Hat" (bicorne) for undress. The "Barrack's cap" like the men's, with a gold lace around the band and gilt edging to the peak. Sash and sword. For Full Dress, a "Hunting sword" on a black bandolier over the right shoulder.

It was noted that: "In the Colonies the officers uniforms to submit to the following modifications:

1. The white and grey pantaloons and "Suvarov boots" to be replaced by long white linen trousers over half-boots.
2. "Wings" to be replaced by epaulets.
3. No gold cords on shako.
4. The "Hunting sword" and bandolier not to be worn.
5. On service and campaign, officers are to carry rifles.

Artillery

Dark blue short coatee with black collar and cuffs, poppy red lining and piping (of the model used in the Netherlands which was single-breasted, no lapels, with brass buttons and blue shoulder straps, no wings). Shako with single peak, on the front a brass plate with a crowned "W", red pompom with black top, grey woolen greatcoat. Dark blue sleeved "veste", of the same cut as the Jagers, piped red, dark blue "Barracks cap" with red trim.

Underclothing as for the Jagers, arms and equipment: musket M.1815 No.2, sabre No.1, (the Fxench "briauet'"), pouch, with white belts.

Officers; long coatee, trimmed as for the troops, shako like the men's but with velvet (black, top and bottom bands. Epaulets, sash and sword, nether-wear as for Jager officers, including the prescriptions for Colonial service.

18th. June, 1815:

"Necessaries" issued for the voyage to the Colonies; 1 pack of Russian leather, the woolen "Great Uniform" in the form of a coatee, sleeved veste, shako with plate, cockade and pompom, linen veste, woolen "Barracks cap". 3 white linen shirts, 2 coloured shirts, 2 loose Flemish linen trousers, 2 pair ditto gaiters, 1 pair trousers of "Russian Kalminck" for Foal Dress, 1 pair gaiters of "Russian Kalminck", 2 pair shoes, 1 leather "stock."

11th. February, 1818:

"Colonial Guides of Surinam";

Dark blue woolen coat (of the model for the Jager's sleeved veste) with blue collar and cuffs, 1 row of 9 white ball buttons, 2 small ditto on the cuffs. 1 for the strap on each shoulder and 2 large at the hack of the waist, white piping on the collar, front and pointed cuffs. Felt round hat with cockade and "loop", wide linen trousers with shoes, coloured neck scarf, musket without bayonet, pouch on blank bandolier. Instead of the pack, a "Pagaai" of straw.

7th. April 1821:

"Jagers"; The yellow collar and cuffs were to be changed -to dark green piped yellow, full dress was to be abolished, the "Russian Kalminck" trousers and gaiters to be replaced by an extra pair of white liner trousers and gaiters, the shako to be replaced by a "round hat" (also in the Artillery). In fact, none of these precise orders were put into effect; the :uniform remained essemtially unchanged. In the artillery, a new shako plate, a brass flaming grenade, was adopted in 1822. In 1824, this was replaced by crossed cannons with a crown above.

26th November 1828

"Jagers"; Captains and Lts to have two epaulettes, following model newly introduced in Dutch Army. Capt without stripes, 1st Lt with one stripe and 2nd Lt with two (down length of the strap and "pad" in opposing metal. These adopted by all junior officers).

4th April 1829

"Colonial Guides"; To be issued bayonets.

25th May 1829

"Colonial Guides"; TO be issued greatcoats "just like the jagers." 

9th. June, 1829:

"Corps of Invalids"; Scale of issue, 2 coloured shirts , 2 loose linen trousers, 2 pair shoes, 2 pair linen half-gaiters (model of the Jagers), 1 grey woolen sleeved veste with black woolen standing collar and black piping, brass ",lager" buttons, stock with hooks, 1 black felt "round hat" with orange cockade and "loop". All the "cadre" to be armed.

2nd. August, 1830:

"Colonial Guides"; All officers were to adopt the shako, in place of the round hat. An official description was given 1st. December 1832; to be of black felt, 140 "stripes" in height and 250 around the top, on the front an orange cockade with silver "loop", around the top a gold lace as worn by Lieutenants of the 27th. Jagers, black velvet bottom band, white plate of "Horn and Crown" of the model used by the 27th. Jagers but with the letters "KG" instead of "W" inside, white chinscales and lion's heads, a silver ball in place of a pompom. (although there was never an official ord-er to that effect, the men of the Colonial Guides adopted a similar shako in 1833)

18th. May, 1831:

"Medical Officers"; Dark blue coatee with 2 rows of 8 large buttons, dark blue velvet standing open collar and cuffs (split up the rear seam,, the skirts lined with poppy red and turned back on both sides with a small button at the point they meet, horizontal pocket flaps with 3 large buttons, all buttons gilded and with device of the Medical Corps (Aesculapius Staff). Dark grey wool trousers over half-boots, the trousers to have a red piping down the outer seams any?. leather straps under the instep. For Full Dress; dark grey trousers with a gold lace having a red centre piping. For the Inspector-General and First Medical Officer, white pantaloons with high boots for Gala and Ceremonial, dark grey overcoat with dark blue velvet collar, bicorne hats without plumes, gold cockade loop and tassels. The trousers, overcoat and haw of the models used in the Dutch Army. Sword with knot, black velvet stock, white leather gloves, dark blue "Barracks cap" piped with red, no sash, the rank embroidery in gold, following the prescriptions of the Royal Decree of the 21st. April, I831 for the Dutch Army (on collar and cuffs). Apothecaries; the sarr.e but with silver embroidery.

22nd. May, 1831:

"Jagers"; Officers in undress to have no gold on their shakos, which are to be of felt, the shakos for N.C.O.'s and men to be of lacquered leather.

25th. July, 1831:

"Jagers"; Officers to rave a grey greatcoat like the men's, with a standing yellow collar, epaulet loops on the shoulder, an opening on the left hip for the sword, in service, the sash to he worn over the greatcoat.

14th. August, 1832:

"Jagers"; In concordance with the Royal Decree of 27th. September 1629, the overcoat of the Jagers to be or dark green wool, with dark green collar and cuffs edged with yellow piping, officers to have no-longer yellow collars and cuffs on their "Frock".

2nd. March, 1834:

"Officers": The collar of the undress "Frock", 2 even width gold laces, the upper one 3 "thumbs" and 3 "stripes" in length, the lower 4 "thumbs in length(?), Adjutant underofficers to have a yellow woolen "horn" (jagers) or a grenade (Artillery and Staff) in the place of the lace.

5th Sep 1836

"Jagers"; The grey overcoats of the officers to changed to dark green wool, no gold lace on the collar, instead yellow woolen pattes, (patches)

22nd April 1839

"Jagers"; The Flankeurs to be distinguised by round yellow pompom w/ horsehair tuft, the other Jagers the same pompom and tuft in dark green. Officers same as men but tuft is gold tulip. The Staff no longer to wear white plumes, but a gold ball and tulip with horsehair tuft. The tuft worn with full dress.

26th Jan 1840

"Jagers": Uniform coatee replaced with one without lapels, with 1 row of buttons, yellow piping and two yellow laces on the collar, lacquered leather shakos. Officers; trousers of "King's gray" (grey-black) with gold stripe down the outer seams, on the new model shako to wear the chin scales and lion's heads from the old felt shakos--these are not to be worn by the men.

10th. May, 1840:

"Jagers"

The full dress uniform was to be abolished (again:). For officers a frock with 2 gold laces on the collar for dress, and a tunic for service, for N.C.O.'s and men 2 camelhair laces on the collar of the coatee, with wings, linen veste, trousers and gaiters for all service. Greatcoat and shako of Dutch Army models. (again there is considerable doubt that this regulation ever went into effect?)

(This section on Uniforms Regulars has been mostly based on F.J.G.Ten Raa's "DI U'NIFORMEN VAN DE NEDERLANDSCHE ZEE EN LANMACET, HIER TE LANDE EN IN DE KOLONIEN" The Hague, 1900, which gives good coverage up to 1840, with only limited info, past 1840 and of course nothing beyond1900. Uniforms adopted. May 27, 1869; almost identical to the K.N.I.L, model 1868 uniforms ( the piping en the officers uniform; also prescribedd by K.P.I.L. Regulations, but seldom worn; their status in the West Indies Forces unclear?). While this uniform was abolished in the K.N.I.L. in 1882 (at least theoretically), it continued in use in the West Indies Forces until at least 1900 (date of abolition unknown ?).

The K.N.I.L. was the "Koninklijke Nederlandische Indies Leger", the Dutch East Indies Army, I have no information on any uniforms following this one (see the illustrations in the next instalment as there a-ce 4 figures showing this model uniform).

Schutterij (Militia)

23rd. December, 1816

20th. March, 1824:

Paramaribo; The Schutterij of Paramaribo to be organized into 2 "Afdeelingen" (literally Units, size unclear?), the first to be composed of whites, the second of free coloureds and negros. In the negro company the negro officers to be replaced by white officers. Attached to this Corps, to be a Jager Company or "Honour Guard".

Schutterij of Paramaribo; The hat to be replaced with a shako, mounted with an orange cockade, white loop, crowned " W " and pompom. The white officers of the negro company to retain the uniform of the white companies. The officer's shako to have orange cockade, silver loop, crowned " W " and chin-scales and lion's head's, a silver lace around the top, varying in width according to rank, short plume for the whites, white with a red top,for the coloureds white with a yellow top, half-boots and long white pantaloons. The free negros to have on their coatees the same distinctions as the whites, (presumably the whites and coloureds uniform remained much as in 1816 ?).

The Jager Company or Honour Guard; Dressed in green with black velvet facings and silver trio

4th. May, 1831;

Raising of a "Landstorm" on the Dutch part of Sint-Martin.

31st. December, 1835;

The Paramaribo Schutterij was reduced to 4 Companies, the 4th. of "Free-Born". (no uniform details ?)

14th. May, 1836;

Paramaribo Schutterij was expanded to 5 Companies, the 1st. and 2nd. of whites, the 3rd. and 4th. of coloureds, and the 5th. of negros with white officers. (no uniform details ?)

3rd. March, 1836;

Officers of the Schutterij, permanent adjutants to the Governor-General;

To wear their Schutterij uniforms with the following distinctions,

1. On the shako a silver ball with a black standing plume, on the hat a black "waterfall plume" of the model used by General Adjutants.

2. On the front of the collar of the frock (coat) 2 horizontal laces of silver, and on each (round) cuff 2 vertical laces, on the skirt turnbacks silver grenades embroidered upon red wool.

3. Half-boots with silver spurs.

1840, (?):

Sint-Martin, "Regulations for the establishment of a Schuttery in the Netherlands part of the Island". ( in English strangely enough, Government Publication No.62)

The 1st. Company (infantry) shall be composed exclusively by the white inhabitants of the Colony. The 3rd. Company (infantry) shall be composed of free coloureds and black inhabitants The 2nd. Company shall be composed of Dragoons.

The marks of distinction of officers shall be the same as in the Regular Army, epaulette and ornaments of silver. The uniform of the Militia shall be as follows; a chakot same form as the Military, trimmings however white, black stock, coatee blue, facings red, trowsers white, gaiters white, black belts. The uniform of the Dragoon Corps shall be a round cut blue jacket facings and trimmings yellow, chacot (shako) and white feather, their arms shall. consist of a broad sword, belt, holsters and a pair of horse pistols. The Lieutenant of Dragoons uniform shall be as follows; a blue round cut jacket, facings and trimmings yellow, with ornaments in silver.

This is all the information todav I have on the Dutch West Indies, I hope that has helped some of you in your researches, if anyone finds more data or this subject please write in with it.

Uniforms of the Dutch East Indies 1795-1873 Part 1

Historical Background
History of the Regular Units
Dress Regulations