The Irish Brigade of the French Army (1690-1792) wore red coats supposedly to show their origins and continued loyalty to the cause of Jacobitism. The British red coat actually originated as an historical accident, probably due to the cheapness of madder red dyes at the time of the English Civil war. As battles of the time were also commonly fought in large, conspicuous lines and columns on the battlefield with volley fire, the individual soldier was not a target by himself, making the obviousness of his presence immaterial.

It must be recognised that although questions did arise as to the need for a standing force, when fears of an invasion were widespread, the speed with which the government was able to utilise its militia and volunteer forces suggests how "the unreformed British state rested on the active consent of substantial numbers of its inhabitants".The dress regulations, including the scarlet tunic, were maintained after the Canadian Militia was reorganized into the Canadian Army in 1940. There had been isolated instances of red military clothing pre-dating its general adoption by the New Model Army. Historiae Catholicae Iberniae Compendium by Philip O'Sullivan Beare (1621), Tome III, Bk V, Chap IV, translated as Ireland Under Elizabeth by Matthew J. The significance of the red coat took on a new dimension during the tumultuous times of the English Civil War.

Wearing the red coat was a matter of honor, showing their loyalty to their fellow soldiers and their country.However, some units in the Canadian Army are authorized regimental differences from the Army's universal full dress. The red coat evolved from being the British infantryman's normally worn uniform to a garment retained only for ceremonial purposes. The British military authorities were more practical in their considerations than their French counterparts, who incurred heavy casualties by retaining highly visible blue coats and red trousers for active service [69] until several months into World War I. United States Marines wear dark blue (almost black in appearance) tunics with red piping, so United States Marine bandsmen wear red tunics with dark blue piping. These factors meant that it was harder wearing, more weatherproof and could take a raw edge; the hems of the garment could be simply cut and left without hemming as the threads were so heavily shrunk together as to prevent fraying.

This too would be replaced in the majority of regiments by the widespread use of the Belgic shako by 1812, as displayed by the 33rd Regiment of Foot. During the Anglo-Spanish War, English pike men and arquebusiers fighting with their Dutch ally were also clad in red cassocks. The term redcoat originated in 16th century Tudor Ireland as a derogatory term for the British, as British soldiers in Lord Lieutenant of Ireland's army wore red coats, the first time British soldiers collectively had a red uniform, the term was then brought to America and Europe by Irish emigrants. In Europe, red-coloured coats are still used by the Danish Royal Life Guards, [84] and the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene of the Royal Netherlands Army.British soldiers fought in scarlet tunics for the last time at the Battle of Gennis in the Sudan on 30 December 1885. It is military history as it should be: exciting, fast paced and so real you can smell the gunpowder.