Original British Victorian West India Regiment Named Uniform Collection of Colonel John George Vaughn Hart Original Items

Original Items: One-of-a-kind set. This is essentially a military officer’s life in a tin chest, dating from the time of Queen Victoria until the end of WWI, a rare regimental uniform from an old historic British family.

Lt. Colonel John George Vaughan Hart of the British West India Regiment, born 1879 and died 1946. The grandson of General George Vaughan Hart, 1752-1832, who saw service in the American Revolution, was in India in the 1790s and took part in the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 and finally was present at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

An illustrious family that had resided on the family estates at Ballynagard, Londonderry in Ireland since 1613, the Grandson, Lt. Colonel John George Vaughan Hart enlisted in the British West India Regiment in 1899 as a lieutenant and was for a time stationed in the West Indies. He saw service in Sierra Leone in 1905 and became Colonel of the B.W.I. Regiment in 1916.

A great deal can be learnt about this family from the HART PAPERS that can be found at .uk/introduction_hart_d3077-2.pdf

Our set, received from a dedicated collector, was partially sold at auction in 2009 and partially sold from the family previously and has now been painstakingly reassembled as follows:

• Early 20th century steel Officer’s transit Chest bearing brass plaque stating:

Lt. Colonel John George Vaughan Hart

BRITISH WEST INDIA REGIMENT

• Red Melton Cloth Officer’s Red Tunic with white facings with gold braid and British West India Regimental buttons. Uniform, which has a hand written tag J.G.V. Hart shows the two Officer “pips” for a 1st lieutenant.
• Matching pair of dark blue coveralls (pants) with wide stripe down each leg, the hems being cut at an angle to be worn with officer’s boots.
• Buff white leather belt still retaining one sword-hanging loop with B.W.I. Regimental brass buckle.
• A blue cloth spiked Officer’s Helmet with gilt brass fittings with B.W.I. Regimental helmet plate complete with chinstrap.
• A Regimental evening cut-away jacket together with a blue vest with matching brass buttons.
• Course wool Patrol Jacket of red and white for field use.
• Red vest of similar material decorated with yellow piping.
• Infantry Officer’s Sword in brass-mounted leather Scabbard bearing Crown over V.R. insignia. The slightly curved blade is pipe backed and 31 1/2″ in length. The brass top mount to the scabbard engraved:

Lt. JOHN GEORGE VAUGHAN HART, B.W.I. REGT.

Maynard & Co., 27 Poultry, London

This is a fascinating uniform archive from one of Britain’s great military families that offers tremendous research potential.