This cabinet photograph of Pioneer Lance Sergeant Harry Tesh of the Coldstream
Guards and his wife was taken by S. Jedwabnitsky, of 138, Brompton Road,
London SW. He is in the 1882 pattern dress of a pioneer lance sergeant of
his regiment.[1]
The scarlet tunic is of other ranks quality with dark blue facings on
the collar and round the lower cuff. The cuff design reflects the cuff pattern
used on the 1856 pattern tunic which remains as a distinction for the Guards
Regiments to this day. The buttons down the tunic front clearly show the
two button spacing pattern that is a regimental distinction of the Coldstream
Guards. You will also see his watch fob with the second group of buttons. His badge of rank worn on the right arm consists of three white chevrons,
with crossed axes, and a small rose badge above. Lance Sergeant strips were
white instead of gold as would be worn by a sergeant. A sergeant would also
have worn a sash. The collar badge is a smaller version of the Garter Star
cap badge. Notice that his wife is wearing a broach pin that is the Garter
Star. His tunic also has his campaign medals: an Egypt Medal with the clasp
for Tel-el-Kebir and the Khedive's Star medal.
His pill box forage cap is dark blue a band of white lace round the bottom
and a white cord round the top with the regimental cap badge worn between
the band and the cord.
He has a walkout stick and a sawback sword carried by pioneers. A general
order of 1856 allowed for one pioneer per company in each regiment. The
tools carried by the pioneers included a sawback sword, pickaxe, billhooks,
shovels, and axes.
Harry Tesh was appointed Pioneer Sergeant on the 10th of June 1890. He
was discharged as "medically unfit" due to tubuculosis on the 2nd of Septeber
1897 after 15 years and 33 days of service.