2ND Afghan War Uniforms

[Bertie]

Hi all,

Just received my figures for the regular units of the Afghan army for 1879 period. But try as I might, I cannot find any information regarding the colour scheme for the units. What little I do know is that they followed the current European fashion of the time.

Can anyone help regarding jacket and trouser colours?

Many thanks
Bertie.

[hamsterking]

Sources are a bit thin on the ground.

Cavalry seem to have worn Red Jackets & Dark Blue Trousers and facings with Dark Brown/Black Lambswool caps. The equipment was buff but with 1 broad white cross strap from right hip to left shoulder.
Infantry wore nut brown jackets and trousers with dark brown/black lambswool caps. The equipment was buff but with 1 broad white cross strap from right hip to left shoulder. The facings including shoulder straps were red.
The "Highland" regiment wore Red jackets, white pith helmets and red/white gingham kilts. They seem to have had dark green or blue long socks and white drawers. Again they had a white cross belt and buff equipment.

I couldn't quote you a source but I seem to remember that some of the foot wore red coats and brown trousers.
There was an excellent article on the subject, I think by one of the Perry Twins, in Wargames Illustrated but that probably goes back 10-15 years or so. I'll see if I can dig it out of my collection for you.

Dave Turner

[Ben Waterhouse]

Have you got these links?

http://www.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/index.php

and

http://maiwandday.blogspot.co.uk/

[hamsterking]

Ok here's the good news. I've located the relevant Wargames Illustrated's (Numbers 93-96, June- September 1995) which have a 4 part article by Ian Heath.  The article is entitled " A most villainous looking calvacade- the Afghan army in the nineteenth century" Complete with coloured piccies.

It will be a few days before I can read the articles in detail and summarise the contents but a quick flick through suggests the wait will be worth it !

Dave Turner

[Ben Waterhouse]

I knew I had seen something in the dim and distant past, good catch!

[Bertie]

Dave/Ben,

Can't thank you both enough, excellent information. You have given me more details in these few posts than I have found during several hours of trawling the world wide web. Better use a different search engine, or perhaps ask it the correct question

Dave if you do get chance to read through WI copies, that would be fantastic. But if not don't worry, you and Ben have given me a starting point.

Can I just finish by saying what a friendly and helpful bunch of people we have on this site. Long may it stay that way.

Bertie

[Leon]

Can I just finish by saying what a friendly and helpful bunch of people we have on this site. Long may it stay that way.

Have you got these links?

http://www.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/index.php

and

http://maiwandday.blogspot.co.uk/

Maybe a couple for the Resources board?   

[Ben Waterhouse]

Yes boss!

[Leon]

Yes boss!

[hamsterking]

The Afghan Regular Army
Relying on Ian Heath’s articles titled : A most villainous looking cavalcade- The Afghan Regular Army in the 19th Century published in Wargames Illustrated  No’s 93-97 1995 (Though any mistakes as to interpretation or emphasis are entirely mine)

The Infantry ; The Infantry were organised into single battalion regiments or pultan. Regiments varied in size from 150 to 1000 men strong with the average size being 500-600. In the 2nd Afghan War most regulars were armed with Enfield or Snider rifles , some original and some rough copies made by Afghan gunsmiths.

Units were plagued by desertion notwithstanding the severe punishments inflicted on deserters and their families. The Afghan army was almost always paid in arrears; apparently one response to this was to wait until the situation got completely out of control and dismiss the whole unit without any pay. Conditions for soldiers were so bad that I’m guessing most would have been quite happy with the deal. The Afghan regulars were also terrible shots partial due to the quality of Afghan powder and guns but also due to the fact that soldiers apparently  only got 3 rounds a year to practice with.

Most infantry wore either a felt beehive type hat or a felt copy of the British pith helmet. However at least some units wore turbans, in the Indian rather than Afghan style since some units so dressed were mistaken for British Sepoys.  The actual uniforms varied widely and included:
* Red coats with Yellow facings , white cross belts and buff trousers
* Blue Coats with red or raspberry facings
* Black Coats with white facings
* Khaki Coats and pants with black facings
* Grey jackets and  dark purple turbans
* Khaki  jackets and pants with khaki turbans

Where not specified I gather that white leggings were the norm , in various styles,  both British and Native. In hot weather leggings were discarded altogether, presumably replaced by dhoti like undergarments. Footwear also varied a lot with Native styles seemingly most common.

Apparently in some unit’s the uniform varied enormously- presumably the Afghan quartermasters department not being up to the task of getting everyone the same uniform. ( A witness says : “Their uniforms were made up of such a medley of colours and shapes and sat upon them so badly that it was impossible not to laugh at them”)

A unit of Kabuli Infantry is illustrated clad in off white jacket and leggings with a thin blue stripe running vertically over the uniform. Heath says this looks like blanket tucking but it reminds me most of the uniforms worn by the Spanish during the Spanish-American War .  This natty ensemble is combined with a peaked and tasselled  red skull cap and gold slippers with turned up toes.

The Guard : There were a number of Guard units including more then one Highland Unit. Apparently an all brown uniform with red facings and a bee hive hat was the most common guard uniform. Highland units were variously dressed in red and green coats with various coloured checked or tartan kilts and white leggings. Kilts may be an overstatement - Heath quotes one witness as describing the kilts as being like a simple piece of red and blue checked cloth worn round the waist like a towel

.The Green-coated Highlander regiment is illustrated wearing a felt headgear in the shape of a British pith helmet but coloured dark brown/black.

The Artillery : Afghan field artillery deployed about half rifled guns and half smooth-bores. The guns included 4,6,8 and 12 pounder’s and were organised into batteries of mountain, horse drawn and bullock drawn artillery. Many guns were made locally and I gather that the quality of Afghani forged guns was quite respectable.

Artillerymen wore a uniform of blue jacket and trousers and either felt hats in the shape of kepis, forage caps or “Roman” style helmets as worn” by the Bengal Horse artillery. Indeed some Afghan units wore a metal helmet of similar appearance to that sported by the BHA. All artillery headgear seem to have featured red tassels.
Cavalry : Cavalry were organised into regiments or risildars  of between  300 and 600 men with 600 being the preferred target strength. Cavalry were generally armed with swords and carbines with pistols rare and revolvers all but un-known. Apparently lancers were only introduced after the 2nd Afghan war.

Afghan Cavalry didn’t fare well in contests with Anglo-Indian Cavalry partially because of the poor quality of their horseflesh and partially due to poor training. (most of their drill was under-taken on foot!) While regular foot were almost invariably  brigaded with other regular foot, regular cavalry were often brigaded together with tribal horse.

Generally regular cavalry wore red coats with light blue facings and dark blue trousers with black boots.  In this dress most equipment was buff with a single white cross-belt which ran from the right hip to the left shoulder. Afghanis didn’t use spurs and carried a short whip instead. Some units wore felt helmets in an acorn shape and some those fuzzy woollen central Asian Hats. (particularly true of units with a Turcoman background)  As you might expect there was considerable variation between units with some wearing blue jackets and scarlet “busbies” and some wearing brown jackest with blue trousers.  The busbies mentioned above were apparently the fuzzy wool hats dyed red.

At least one regiment was described as “dressed something like British Dragoons and wearing the cast off helmets of the Bengal Horse Artillery”

Not surprisingly poshteens were often worn during the colder periods of the year.

Horse furniture was either British or local copies of British kit. According to Heath and his sources the Afghans used a great deal of cast off Anglo-Indian kit.

Hope this helps

Dave Turner

[Bertie]

Hi Dave,

"Hope this helps" is an understatement. I can't thank you enough for all the information you have taken time out to provide.

Thanks again.
Bertie.