18th century Redcoat and a 19th century Redcoat soldier  18th
Century  After the 17th century, defensive armour virtually
disappeared from the battlefield, in response to the development
of firearms and their increase in power and accuracy.  Mobility
was much more useful to a soldier than heavy armour.   The
British Army gained its nickname the ‘Redcoats’ from the colour
of the woollen coats a lot of the regiments wore.  The 18th and
19th century was a time of ornamental military uniforms. By
mass-producing uniforms thousands of soldiers could be equipped
quickly and standard sizes and designs were easier to replace on
campaign. These colourful uniforms eventually gave way in the
late 19th century to the khaki tunics more suited for actual
combat.  18th century British cavalry sword  Clicking on the
image below opens the YouTube video in fullscreen  Link to
YouTube video of 18th century British cavalry sword       05
April 2014  Get more information about this event  Did you know?
Waterloo telescope