Bersagieri Hat worn by the Abersychan Company of the Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteers, 1862

Description

In 1862, the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, Lord Llanover, ordered this fine Bersagieri hat as worn by Italian 'Sharpshooters' to be issued to the Abersychan Company of Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteers. The hats proved to be so unpopular with the Welsh soldiers, many of whom were local coalminers, that they were withdrawn from use a year later. The hat has a brass shako badge with the numeral '36' the Monmouthshire Volunteers being 36th in the order of seniority of volunteer units.