The red coated uniform worn by many regiments of the British Army in the 18th and 19th centuries may have made the ladies swoon, but it wasn’t exactly practical. The 50th regiment to which Susan’s husband, David Whybrew, belonged, became known as the “dirty half hundred” because at one stage the dye on the black cuffs of their jackets wasn’t colour fast and rubbed off onto their hands and from there to their faces.
Here’s a video demonstrating why modern armies usually wear loose fitting khaki uniforms.
Aspirations of a first-time author
Jane Austen’s first book, “Lady Susan” was probably written before she was thirty, though it wasn’t published until 1871. I’m no Jane Austen, I’m a little over thirty, and my Susan was definitely no lady. I also write non-fiction rather than novels. But I can still aspire to write like Jane Austen one day.
At the moment I’m busy doing the research for my next book. It’s another historical biography, but this time it concerns two very different women whose lives became intertwined in a drama that took place in Perth. I’m looking forward to being able to do some “on the ground” research this time without having to fly anywhere.