Make a Halifax Citadel paper doll soldier and soldier's wife

Attention kids and families: Make your own paper doll soldier and soldier’s wife to bring along on adventures throughout the Halifax Citadel!

On this page

• Make your own paper doll soldier and soldier’s wife
• Meet Jane, a soldier’s wife
• Soldiers at the Halifax Citadel
• Visit the Halifax Citadel
• Share your adventures on social media

Make your own paper dolls

1. Download the activity (PDF, 1.3 MB) and print it at home.
2. Colour and cut out the paper doll soldier, soldier’s wife, and their pieces of clothing. Use the information below, or your imagination!
3. Dress the soldier’s wife in her shawl or her apron.
4. Dress the soldier as a 78th Highlander or as a Royal Artillery soldier.
5. If you share a photo of your creations on social media, please include the hashtag #HFXPaperSoldier.

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Meet Jane, a soldier’s wife

Some of the soldiers at the Citadel were married. The wives were considered part of the regiment and lived in special quarters for soldiers with families.

They wore dresses with big hoop skirts, bonnets to protect from the sun, shawls to keep them warm, and aprons to protect their outfits.

About the soldier's wife's clothing

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Soldiers at the Halifax Citadel

There were two groups of soldiers stationed at the Halifax Citadel in 1869: the iconic tartan-dressed 78th Highlanders and the Royal Artillery who fired the daily noon gun.

About the soldier's uniform

Doublet with rifle gear

The jacket worn by the soldier is called a doublet.

The upper arm is where the rank badges are placed, so the paper soldier would hold the rank of Lance Corporal. The stripes on the lower arm are awarded for good conduct.

The little pouch in front is known as a ball bag which is used to draw ammunition to be loaded into the rifle.

The two straps making an 'X' over the chest of the highlander are the cartridge box strap (made of leather and connects to the cartridge box which holds more ammunition) and the haversack strap (connects to the haversack which is a cloth bag used to carry provisions etc.)

Finally, there is a belt at the bottom which would have the number '78' on it as well as the name of the regiment the 'Ross Shire Buffs'.

Socks and shoes

The striped socks worn by the soldier are called half hose and they are held up by flashes which can be seen sticking out from under the fold of the upper sock.

Covering the soldier’s shoes are canvas gaiters (sometimes called spats).

Kilt and sporran

Generally, every regiment would have a unique kilt tartan. The kilt tartan worn by the Halifax Citadel regiment soldier is the Mackenzie tartan and is made of wool.

The pouch worn on top of the kilt is called a sporran and was made of brass, leather, and horsehair. On the front there is a stag head with the Gaelic motto of the regiment 'Cuidich'n Righ' which translates to ‘save the King.’ The sporran functioned as a purse with a pocket on the backside to hold various items.

Hanging from the sporran is decorative beige horsehair and two black horsehair tassels.

Feather Bonnet

The feather bonnet is the formal headdress for highland regiments. The bonnet consists of black ostrich feathers on a wire frame with a white plume made of African vulture feathers.

The cap badge consists of an elephant which was awarded to the regiment (as well as several other British and Indian regiments) after the Battle of Assaye. Also incorporated into the cap badge are a crown, the number of the regiment, the motto, and a wreath of thistles.

Royal Artillery Undress

The Paper Soldier is dressed in the uniform of a bombardier in the royal artillery.

On his head is a forage cap which would have a yellow band around it as well as a rank badge in the middle.

On his upper arm is a single stripe indicating that he is a bombardier and on his lower arm are his good conduct chevrons.

The buttons down the front all have three guns (cannons) with a crown on top.

The trousers would have a red stripe down the side and the whole uniform would be dark blue due to its 'royal' status.

Visit the Halifax Citadel

Once dressed for adventure, your paper dolls are ready to visit all the historic period rooms and exhibits at the Halifax Citadel. Explore this historic fort in the centre of Halifax with your paper dolls and see where soldiers lived and worked.

Share your adventures on social media

Take a picture of your paper doll adventures and share it with us on Facebook by tagging @ParksCanadaHalifax or #HFXPaperSoldier