British infantry officers in the Revolutionary War period had bought their commissions. The purchase system — by which a man paid the Crown a regulated price for the rank of ensign, then paid again for lieutenant, again for captain, and so on — meant that the officer corps was drawn almost entirely from men of independent means. A 43rd Foot captaincy in 1780 cost around 1,500 pounds, the equivalent of perhaps eight or ten years of middle-class income. The system was widely criticized in Britain even at the time but persisted because it produced officers who were personally invested in their regiments, financially as well as professionally, and because the army resisted reform that would have shifted appointment authority to politicians or merit-board examiners. The 43rd Regiment's officer corps in 1780, including the men who fought at Yorktown the following year, were almost all products of purchase.

This figure shows a 43rd Foot company officer in the dress of his rank — scarlet coat with white facings and gold lace, white waistcoat and breeches, black knee gaiters, tricorne with white binding, white cross-belt and gorget (the crescent-shaped metal plate worn at the throat that distinguished a commissioned officer when on duty), red silk sash around his waist as additional rank insignia, sword held in the salute or sheathed-and-returned position. The pose is the moment between actions — the officer at ease but armed and ready to move. He pairs with the British 43rd Foot Ensign with King's Colours (his junior commissioned officer carrying the colours), the British 43rd Foot soldier in defensive position (the rank-and-file he commands), and the broader American Revolution & Federal Era collection.

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 16207. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.