Uniform of a Grenadier of the 87th Foot
Artefact
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| Detail of 1805 British tunic worn during the Peninsular War |
This woollen tunic was worn by a soldier of a Grenadier company of the 87th Foot during the Peninsular War. It is stamped and dated 1805 on the inside and is one of only four British tunics of this type in the world and is the best sample of the four.
The tunic was bought in a Paris auction in 1954 by the Royal Irish Fusiliers Old Comrades Association who subsequently donated it to the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum where it is on permanent display.
The auction catalogue stated that the tunic belonged to a soldier who was taken prisoner during the Peninsular War and became a servant in a French château. The cloth on the inside of the tunic shows that it has had darned repairs many times.
