Recruiting sergeants

Here are some nice images of recruiting sergeants in the nineteenth century. I only discovered recently, that three twisted ribbons worn on the sergeant's hat or cap denotes the appointment as a recruiting sergeant. The image above is taken from the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment website and shows a recruiting sergeant circa 1810.

This detail above is taken from a painting by John Mulcaster Carrick and dates to 1862.

This painting, artist unknown, probably dates to later than the Carrick painting and again, the sergeant's ribbons are clearly visible.

Finally, the photograph above was published by Coldstream on the Gentleman's Military Interest Club forum in 2010 and depicts a recruiting sergeant from the Coldstream Guards and possibly the civilian recruiting agent standing by his side.

Military Service and Pension records can be searched and downloaded from Ancestry and Findmypast. Both companies offer FREE 14-day trials.