We have another of those magnificent colour postcards of British regiments that were produced before World War I to look at this week, this time depicting a trumpeter of the 4th Hussars:

This prestigious regiment could trace its history back to 1685 and counted Winston Churchill amongst its many illustrious officers at one point in its history. This image depicts a trumpeter in ‘undress’ uniform in the Edwardian era. On his head he wears a busby with a yellow busby bag hanging down the right side, a scarlet plume was worn on the top by the 4th Hussars, but the colourist has incorrectly tinted this one white:

The tunic is of blue cloth with yellow piping including an elaborate Austrian knot on each cuff. Across his chest he wears a leather ammunition bandolier. The elaborate cords of his bugle are clearly visible:

Note also the clear view of the underside of his boot with its metal furniture and the buckles that secure his spurs. The fact that the trumpeter does not seem to have any frogging on the front of his tunic and has silver chains on each shoulder makes me think that this image depicts him in undress uniform rather than full dress.

He wears matching dark blue overall trousers with a pair of wide yellow stripes down each side seam:

His high leather riding boots are also clearly visible.

Sadly this magnificent regiment has passed into history as after several centuries of service it was amalgamated in 1958 and ceased to exist as an independent regiment, although its regimental museum lives on.