While many regiments have a cloth badge for officers and a metal badge for soldiers, everyone serving in the Ranger Regiment will wear a metal badge, irrespective of rank. Beret and Belt A bit like a football fan’s scarf, it identifies who you are and what you are. When you have lots of different corps and regiments together you will see people gravitate towards their own cap badge.” The Ranger Regiment is an important contribution of the Army’s new global posture and was established as part of Future Soldier, the biggest transformation of the British Army in over 20 years. Illustrated book showing most known examples; shoulder titles can sometimes pinpoint a specific unit, such as a battalion, battery or field ambulance The design for the Army Special Operations Brigade formation flash is inspired by the badge of the Special Service Brigade. The Special Service Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War.

Portrait photographs such as this one were purely unofficial - the British Army did not photograph its First World War recruits. The images were typically taken in a commercial studio while on the first leave after being fitted with a uniform. They were given to loved ones or exchanged with friends. Brassey’s History of Uniforms: World War One British Army by Stephen Bull (Brassey’s, London, 1998) On 17 July 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued a directive to wage irregular warfare. This established the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and a Directorate of Combined Operations, and in the Autumn of 1940 a Special Service Brigade was formed to command the numerous new Army and Royal Marines commando units. The staff of this new Brigade wore a flash featuring two Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives.

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Detachable badges in metal or cloth are a key element of military uniforms. They can be worn on a cap, collar, shoulder, arm, or cuff. They can be stitched, or attached with brass pins or ‘sliders’. They can identify the rank of the serviceman, their particular regiment or ship, qualification or specialist trade, and distinguish those with gallantry awards, long service or who have been previously wounded. Servicemen may also wear badges of larger formations (such as Brigades, Divisions or Armies), within which their unit is currently serving. It follows that badges on military uniforms change throughout military service, and can help identify and date portrait photographs. An unique gun-metal grey colour has been chosen for the regimental beret and stable belt, taking inspiration from the Peregrine Falcon’s grey plumage. Commodity Assurance Manager for Defence Clothing at Defence Equipment and Support, Laurence Harvey said: “We are proud to be playing a key role in the Coronation and have worked rapidly to ensure that the new cap badges and other ceremonial dress items are ready for the event. However, some units had very similar cap badges which can be hard to differentiate - this example is the Royal Engineers cap badge, whose wreath-style looks like a number of other round-shaped badges when it is even slightly blurred . More about portraits Illustrated with photographs of actual badges, in full colour, plus some notes on how they were worn, and other badges.

A detailed source for uniforms, sadly not in print; a companion volume by the same author covers German Army Uniforms. Large book, uses hundreds of portrait and other photographs as the primary source; good for identifying if equipment carried is unusual, and might indicate a specialist e.g. tank crew, machine gunner, etc. Forty-six of the British Army’s Corps and Regimental cap badges showing His Majesty The King's cypher have been unveiled. Equipment shown with the uniform can be revealing – e.g. if leather gaiters and spurs are worn, this indicates horse-riding, so perhaps a cavalry, ambulance, artillery or transport unit. The British Army’s Tri-Service Ceremonial policy and plans lead, Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Kestrel Simson said: “The cap badge goes to the very heart of what the Army is about. The last thing a soldier or officer does when they leave their accommodation or quarter is put on their beret and on that beret is the cap badge. It identifies the soldier as belonging to one of the Army’s 74 Regiments or Corps.

The Army Special Operations Brigade will contribute to collective deterrence by training, advising and if necessary, accompanying partner forces across the world. Many veterans continue to proudly wear their cap badges long after they have left service because it provides a visible connection and sense of belonging to their regiment. A booklet full of information on dating uniforms, including within the years 1914–18; also covers rank badges. Worn for the first time by military personnel taking part in the Coronation, they will become the official new symbol for the Regiments and Corps. The design of the badges reflect the cypher and the Tudor Crown, which appears in The King's cypher.