In the 19th Century, the traditional red woolen tunic of the British Army was increasingly replaced by a cooler white cotton uniform, while serving in India and other colonies. From about 1850, troops in India began dyeing the cotton drill khaki to make them less conspicuous when fighting enemies who used guerilla tactics. read more
Red coats remained the home service uniform until 1902, when khaki was adopted for the whole army as “service dress” with the traditional red retained for full dress uniforms. At the outbreak of WW1 regiments stopped issuing the red coats for the duration of the war. read more
First used during the Abysinian Campaign of 1866-1867 for Indian troops serving under British command, The British army as a whole changed from red coats to khaki uniforms in 1884 for colonial service,and in 1902 for the whole British army everywhere. read more