Soldiers no longer march on the Grand Parade, but the daily firing of the noon-day gun at the Citadel reminds us that for over 150 years we were a garrison town. Along side the Artillery and the Engineers, almost every British infantry regiment saw service in Halifax at some point over the years: from the 1st Royal Scots in 1756 to the 104th Regiment of Foot (the New Brunswick Fencibles) in 1814, from Hopson’s Regiment (which became the 29th Worcestershire) in 1749 to the Royal Engineers (the last to leave) in 1906; from Genadiers of the 40th wearing exotic mitre caps in 1749 to the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry wearing almost modern uniform in 1899.
Though often on the periphery of battle, Halifax has never been attacked, so the soldiers garrisoned here were frequently engaged in ceremonial display or left at leisure to engage in non-military pursuits. The exhibition presents soldiers at work and play, and the ever-changing uniforms they wore between 1749 and 1906.
