Infantry of the Line
Field Service Uniforms
INFANTRY OFFICER'S SERVICE DRESS
Officers and men serving in most British Campaigns between 1870 and 1900 had worn some form of Khaki service dress, with some exceptions such as the Zulu War and 1st Boer War.
As the nineteenth century entered its third quarter, the concept of European
war involving the United Kingdom was becoming more likely. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 was a prominent example.
With that conflict in mind, some British officers were examining various items of dress that would be worn. At first it seemed the scarlet and blue frocks would serve as campaign dress (see above). By 1908, a new concept appeared. with the khaki uniforms worn in the 2nd Boer War in mind a darker, green tinged cloth was designed, which would continue to be called khaki.
The Khaki of the 1st World War will be covered in a future section.
