THE UNIFORM PLATES 1) STAFF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL: Khaki jacket with dark metal buttons. Gilt metal stars on collar. White trousers. White cover on kepi showing rank badge and corps badge in gold-yellow. Blue rank chevrons on cuffs. Steel sword scabbard and hilt, black sword knot. Black boots. Rolled blue-grey cloak. Black horse furniture with steel fittings. It should be noted that Italian officers often chose mules over horses for their mounts. 2) ITALIAN OFFICER (from the retreat from Adowa): Uniform similar to other officers, but this man is wearing his waist belt over the jacket. In fact, it was usually worn under the jacket. The revolver holster in black or brown leather was suspended from the waistbelt by means of slings. 3) THE M1891 RIFLE AND ITS CARBINE VARIANTS: Left to right; Regulation rifle with bayonet, cavalry carbine with bayonet, carbine for 'special troops' (artillery, engineers, etc.) with folding bayonet under barrel. 4) CAPTAIN, ROYAL ITALIAN ARTILLERY: All khaki uniform with dark metal buttons. White metal stars on collar. White cover on kepi showing rank badge (3 gold-yellow stripes) and corps badge (gold-yellow crossed gun barrels surmounted by a gold-yellow grenade). Blue rank chevrons on cuffs. Steel sword scabbard and hilt. Black sword knot. Black boots. 5) 2ND LIEUTENANT, ROYAL ITALIAN ENGINEERS: In 1894 a new full dress uniform for officers serving overseas was introduced. It consisted of dark blue trousers with a black stripe down the outer seam of each leg and of a dark blue tunic with black lacing resembling the British officers' patrol jacket. Gilt stars (for senior officers) and silver stars (for junior officers) to be worn on shoulder straps showed rank, one silver star denoting a 2nd Lieutenant. In review order a white pith helmet with the usual badges and the now regulation blue pagri was worn. The 'patrol jacket' was very popular and widely worn on campaign as well, usually with the covered kepi and white or khaki trousers or breeches. Brass buttons, white metal stars on collar, white gloves, black shoes with steel spurs and steel sword scabbard with steel sword hilt and black knot. 6) ITALIAN BERSAGLIERI: This illustration shows the equipment worn by Italian infantry in Africa. It consisted of a black or brown leather waist belt with black or brown leather pouches; wooden water bottle with brown sling; striped blue and white canvas haversack with leather sling (sometimes a white canvas sling); bayonet in black scabbard with brass tip. A rolled blanket, blue-grey in color, was worn over the left shoulder in marching order. The pack was not carried by troops serving in Africa. The standard rifle for Italian infantry of this period was the M1670 rifle that, since 1887, had been equipped with a 4-round magazine. This was not a very effective weapon and it was soon replaced by the M1891 6-round magazine rifle, which remained in use until the end of World War II. Troops serving in Africa, however, received the new rifles only in the very latest stages of the Abyssinian War and the army fighting at Adowa was still equipped with the M1870/87 rifle. Askari units continued to use the single-shot version of this weapon for some time after the war. Because of their traditional bunch of capon feathers on the helmet, the Bersaglieri were immediately dubbed 'chicken askaris' by native troops. 7) FURIERE MAGGIORE, ITALIAN INFANTRY: Each askari battalion had one or two Italian 'furieri maggiori' (quartermaster majors) and a few furieri attached. Usual all khaki uniform with other ranks having white embroidered collar stars and red cuff rank chevrons. Light canvas spats and brown boots. Greenish-black bunch of feathers (smaller than that worn by the Bersaglieri) stuck into a green cocakade on the right side of the helmet. A white number on a black background was in the center of the green cockade. Khaki helmet with national cockade and gilt corps badge on front. Italian officers and NCOs serving in askari units usually retained the badges, plumes, etc. of their own corps. Equipment included revolver, water bottle (similar to the British Oliver pattern), brown leather note pouch and sword (black scabbard with gilt hilt and tip; blue and yellow knot). 8) SERGEANT, ROYAL ITALIAN ARTILLERY: Uniform as above except for higher leggings denoting mounted personnel. Black horsehair plume stuck into yellow cockade with white number on a black background. Gold-yellow pouch belt with brass fittings. Steel sword scabbard and yellow sword knot. 9) LIEUTENANT, ARMY MEDICAL CORPS: An AMC Lieutenant was attached to each askari battalion. Usual khaki uniform, but note that the collar is of a different pattern. Collar stars are replaced by Red Cross badges. A Red Cross badge surmounted by a gilt crown is fitted on the red-white-green cockade of the khaki helmet. For a medical lieutenant, rank chevrons consisted of two blue stripes on the cuffs. Steel sword scabbard. Among all officers of any rank and corps it was very fashionable to wrap a blue muslin pagri around the helmet. The blue sash was to be worn by all officers in review and marching order. The shoes were black. 10) ITALIAN ASKARIS: (See my article in S&S Vol. XVI No. 1 for in-depth details). The first on the left is a 'muntaz' (corporal) of the Mountain Artillery and is armed with the Vetterli 1870 carbine. In my article on Askari uniforms, I stated that distinctinve color for mountain artillery was red. Afterwards I found out that I was incorrect; in fact, although I have been unable to find any evidence referring to this specific and early period, all later evidence shows that for all units of askari mountain artillery, sashes were YELLOW and fez tassels were BLACK (although in a few instances the tassel was yellow as well). I was also wrong in stating that askari cavalry carried either the 'gurade' scimitar or the 'siet' sword, in fact the siet was normally for irregulars only. Lastly I described the cloaks and tunics of Italian Bashi Bazouks as 'pale blue', but I have just found pictures and photos showing all hues and shades of blue! The askari in the center is wearing his blue-grey blanket fashioned like a native 'shamea' (robe). Siege and Relief of Kassala Italian-Mahdist Campaign Kassala Fortification Kassala Relief Force Battles of Mount Mokram and Tucruf Uniform Notes and Plates Back to Table of Contents -- Savage and Soldier Vol. XVII No. 2 Back to Savage and Soldier List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Milton Soong. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com