Original British Victorian Era Devonshire Regiment Officer’s Patrol Jacket Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. A patrol jacket belonging to an officer in the Devonshire Regiment in very good condition. Tailored from dark blue melton cloth and detailed Russia braiding decoration, complete with all olivettes with concealed hook and eye fastening to the front. The tunic is complete with eppauletts detailing rank pips. There is a tailor’s label on the interior neck which is named and denotes 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment.

Approximate Jacket Measurements”
Collar to shoulder: 9”
Shoulder to sleeve: 23”
Shoulder to shoulder: 18”
Chest width: 17”
Waist width: 14”
Hip width: 17”
Front length: 29″

In the 19th century, the regiment spent most of the 19th century on garrison duty throughout the Empire. The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Topsham Barracks in Exeter from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment. Under the reforms the regiment became the Devonshire Regiment on 1 July 1881. At the same time it merged with the militia and rifle volunteer units of the county of Devon. It took part in the Tirah Campaign in 1897 and the Second Boer War in 1899. The 2nd Battalion fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Anglo-Ashanti wars and the Second Boer War.

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganized nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve; the regiment now had one Reserve and four Territorial battalions.