Photograph and Uniform Details:

This cabinet photograph of Captain Ferrier was taken by the Oxford & Cambridge studio of the photographers Hills & Saunders around 1872. The photographer is identified from the front of the photograph. The letter that is with this photograph is glued to the back such that no determination of the presence of a backmark can be made.

Captain Ferrier is in the 1868 pattern full dress uniform of the Royal Engineers. The detail shown to the left clearly shows the distinctive features of the wave pattern in the center gold embroidery strip on the officers pouch belt. The Royal Engineers were the only regiment of the army to have this distinctive feature in their pouch belt. The pouch belt is of red Russian leather 2 inches wide with the gold embroidery strips being 3/8 of an inch wide. The top of the collar is gold embroidery lace with garter blue velvet facings along the bottom. The collar rank devices are embroidery and consist of one crown and one pip indicating the rank of a Captain. The shoulder strap is of gold braid and this strap pattern is unique to the full dress uniform of engineer officers. Madras Engineers are also known to have worn this design of shoulder strap in the Indian Army.

The detail of the photograph to the right shows a good view of the officers 1870 pattern picked seal skin busby (5-1/4 inches high in front and 8 inches in back). The plume is made of white goat's hair (6-1/2 inches in overall length) with blue feathers (2-1/2 inches) at the base. It is worn on the front of the busby held by a standard busby socket (also called a boss). The example seen here is the standard type of plume fastening system that was also used on other busbys of the period. Visible below the busby socket is the cord plait. This is two gold square backed cords that would have been seen at the rear of the busby when it was worn. The busby was worn by officers on duty with companies in the Royal Engineers.