DLI Objects

Officer's Full Dress Coatee, 68th Light Infantry, 1808-1814. This short-tailed, scarlet woollen coatee (jacket) has dark green facings (collar and cuffs), silver lace and a scarlet webbing waist sash. The buttons are in silver with '68' inside the strings of a crowned bugle horn. This coatee was worn by James Urquhart Murray Leith who was born in Scotland in 1785 and joined the 68th Regiment as an Ensign in 1804. Captain Leith fought with the 68th Light Infantry in the Peninsular War and was killed in action at the Battle of Oeyreguave on 23 February 1814. This is the only 68th LI uniform from the Peninsular War in the DLI Musuem's collection. For further reading, 'Faithful: The Story of The Durham Light Infantry' by S G P Ward (1962) has a detailed chapter on the 68th Light Infantry in the Peninsular War. Acc No: 238