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Caption: Grenadier of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot, 1768-1772

After the Seven Year's War, the uniforms of the British army were remodelled on the Prussian style. The successful campaigns of Frederick the Great of Prussia made his troops the leaders in military fashion for a generation. The new British coat (here worn by a soldier of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot) was of a tighter cut than before - a style that began because impoverished Prussia had to save money, hence coats used as little cloth as possible. A more practical change was the adoption of white breeches in place of the red previously worn by most British regiments. The white cloth could be washed without the colour running. The elite grenadier companies adopted a new fur cap in place of their old cloth mitre caps. Perversely, this fashion was copied from the Austrian army, Prussia's great enemy of the 18th century. Reconstruction by P. W. Reynolds. (DND Library)