Pantaloons : Victorian Permanent Field Artillery

Dark blue melton wool pantaloons with high back, buttoned waist, right front welt pocket and wide scarlet wool stripe down side seams, finishing above ankle opening. Reinforced at inner knee with extra layer of wool fabric, machine stitched on outside. Metal buttoned fly opening and ankle openings lined with polished black cotton twill. Narrow ankle leg finished with cotton twill tape extending into ties. Waist section originally lined with close plain weave cotton but more recently overlined with unbleached calico. Handwritten on one side of pocket liner 'AK' and 'Ross'. Fork lined with striped cotton twill. Metal buttons stamped on front with 'SUSPENDER'.

A permanent force of artillery in Victoria was first raised in 1870 but was disbanded in 1880 and then raised again in 1882. In 1884 the three groups of field artillery were grouped together as the Metropolitan Brigade of Field Artillery. By 1890 the Field Artillery numbered 16 officers and 252 other ranks but it was not until 1899 that Queen Victoria approved an amalgamation of the permanent artilleries of NSW, Victoria and Queensland. The Victorian artillery then became known as the Victorian Regiment of Royal Australian Artillery (RAA). In 1902, the RAA and the permanent artilleries of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania were amalgamated to form the Royal Australian Artillery Regiment.