A PAINTING depicting the new face of a Worcestershire regiment is taking pride of place in the revamped Worcestershire Soldier Museum.

The Review of the Queen's Own Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry Regiment on Kempsey Ham will be unveiled next month at the museum based in the City Art Gallery on Foregate Street, Worcester.

Research into the painting has taken a museum's assistant six months to pinpoint the date the review took place.

Stuart Hadaway, of Worcester City Council, also identified several members of the 900-strong regiment who feature with 700 horses.

After scouring through old newspapers, reference works and long-forgotten documents he has discovered more about what the painting represents.

For the past 150 years the painting is thought to have been painted in 1842, but Mr Hadaway's research discovered it was four years earlier.

He is certain the artist, WJ Pringle, worked on the commission between September 1838 and April 1839.

Mr Hadaway said a major clue to the dating of the work was the tiny detail of the calvarymen's cuffs and colours.

"In December 1837, after Victoria had become Queen, she showed her thanks by making the Yeomanry a Royal Regiment to be called the Queen's Own Worcestershire Yeomanry Calvary Regiment (QOWYC)," said Mr Hadaway.

"As such, they were entitled to wear Royal Blue facings on their uniforms, which they immediately applied, and the regiment called a review on Kempsey Ham to show off its new Royal status.

''It was held on September 29, 1839, and the work was delivered the following April.

"It's occupied a lot of my own time over the past few months, but I became so engrossed in it, it's become a real labour of love."

From within the ranks Mr Hadaway has been able to pinpoint the regiment's three surgeons; the commanding officer, Colonel Clive the Earl of Plymouth; Lord Ward, the Earl of Dudley and Lord Aston.

He also identified the same two cannons that were sited outside the Earl of Plymouth's home at Hewell Grange at Tardebigge, near Redditch, where the painting was hung for several years.

The revamped museum is set to be open in mid-June.