Ron Sargent writes:- "I thought the article on The Boxer Rebellion in the April edition of the Newsletter both interesting and stimulating to anyone looking for a colqurful semi "modern" period for wargaming, but was disappointed to find that The Chinese Regiment of Infantry did not get a mention amongst the British contingents. If I could champion the Regiment's cause for a moment, and possibly enlighten some of the readers, the Chinese Regiment came into being in 1898. It was raised by a Colonel Bower in the leased territory of Wei-hai-wei and is also known a The Weihai-wei Regiment. Chinese between the ages of 23 and 25 were enlisted for a period of three years service, and came principally from Shantung province. An American writer, A.H..Savage Landorg who accompanied the allied army to raise the siege of the legations at Peking, describes the Chinese Regiment's uniforms as follows in his book "China and the Allies". "The Wei-hai-weis had a very smart appearance in their khaki shirts and bloomers, with wide awake straw hats, black puttees, and a broad, which gave them a waist like a girl. They displayed ten cartridges on the chest, where suitable loops had been provided to receive them in Cossack fashion. This, however was only their attire in the field. The parade uniform of the regiment was even more becoming. It consisted of a long, dark grey blouse reaching to the knee, with brass buttons, and a red kamarbund and small dark blue turban." The National Army Museum have a painting of a Chinese in the parade uniform, and Dress Regulations for 1900 give details of the regiment's clothing. The regiment won many commendations during the Boxer troubles. They were at the storming of Tientsin, the relief of the legations, and the final march into the Forbidden City. In the Allied victory parade into the City they marched last, but their efforts were duly acknowledged by the applauding foreign onlookers. Recruiting ceased soon after the rebellion and the regiment was finally disbanded in 1906. A Captain A.A.S. Barnes wrote a book on the regiment's active service in 1902 which I have never been able to get hold of, but that is by the by. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 99 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1970 by Donald Featherstone. 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