United Kingdom Dress uniform

1 united kingdom

1.1 british army
1.2 royal air force
1.3 royal navy

united kingdom
british army

the red tunic uniforms worn british infantry @ rorke s drift painted alphonse de neuville replaced in field khaki, , relegated ceremonial use.

most of various uniforms worn british army today originate in former combat uniforms. @ start of 19th century, british army regiments of foot, trained fight in manner dictated weapon (the musket) demanded close proximity target, not concerned camouflage, , wore red coats (scarlet officers , sergeants). rifle regiments, fighting skirmishers, , equipped rifles, more concerned concealment however, , wore dark green uniforms. light infantry regiments trained skirmishers wore red uniforms green shakos. whereas infantry wore polished brass buttons , white carrying equipment, rifles wore black.

royal engineer bandsman wearing scarlet full dress uniform , busby.

heavy dragoons , royal engineers wore red (or later scarlet) coats. of remainder of british army, however, including royal regiment of artillery, hussars, 1 lancer regiment, , various support elements wore dark blue uniforms. these varied in detail according arm of service or in many cases individual regiment. reserve units part distinguished having silver (rather gold-coloured) lace, buttons , accoutrements in full dress. crimean war on, narrow red stripe (piping) down outside of each trouser leg common red coated infantry units. cavalry wore stripes of regimental colour (white, yellow, blue/grey etc.) on riding breeches. scottish highland regiments did not wear trousers, favouring kilt, , scottish lowland regiments adopted tartan trews. scottish regiments wore doublets of distinctive cut instead of tunics of english, irish , welsh units.

line infantry full dress, including home service helmet

full dress headwear varied (both regiment regiment, , on time influenced military fashion): bearskins worn foot guards, 2nd dragoons (royal scots greys) , (in different form) fusiliers. plumed helmets worn dragoons (except 2nd), dragoon guards , household cavalry. hussars wore distinctive busby, came adopted royal artillery, royal engineers , other corps; worn in different form rifle regiments. lancers had chapka. infantry of line wore shakos (later supplanted home service helmet ), did others; though scots , irish regiments tended have own distinctive full-dress headwear. general officers , staff officers wore plumed cocked hats in full dress, did regimental staff officers , of support services. in hotter climates, of above, white foreign service helmet substituted.

riflemen in dark green no.1 dress uniform; bugler (foreground) in full dress busby.

beginning second anglo-afghan war of 1878, british army began adopting light khaki uniforms tropical service first introduced in 1848 corps of guides in india. innovation arose experience fighting irregular forces in india, example on indian north-west frontier , during indian mutiny, , in africa during anglo-zulu war, invention of smokeless gunpowder , increasing effectiveness , usage of rifles. in 1902 darker shade of service dress (sd) adopted field , ordinary use in britain itself. scarlet, blue , rifle green uniforms retained wear full dress on parade , walking-out dress when off duty , out of barracks. worn between 1902 , 1914 non-commissioned ranks, walking-out dress same review order, except peaked cap or glengarry worn instead of full dress headdress , overalls (strapped trousers) substituted cavalry breeches.

when khaki web carrying equipment introduced, earlier, white or black leather carrying equipment reduced belt (and bayonet frog), wear dress uniform. earlier uniforms, officers uniforms differed in quality , detail worn other ranks. officers purchased own dress uniforms regimentally approved savile row tailors while other ranks issued orders of dress government stocks.

changing of guard, buckingham palace

with outbreak of world war in august 1914 full dress , other coloured uniforms ceased worn british army. after 1919 restored household cavalry , foot guards ceremonial purposes not bulk of army. officers authorised wear full dress special occasions such court levees (formal presentations monarch) , customary wear these uniforms @ social functions such weddings. 1928 bands wearing full dress on occasions not parading remainder of regiment (who had khaki service dress). pre-1914 dress uniforms still held in store , reappeared historic displays. however, there no serious attempt make them general issue again, reasons of expense. when (khaki) battle dress (bd) uniforms, had short blouse instead of tunic, adopted prior second world war, older khaki service dress became smart uniform wear on streets, , on moderately formal occasions.

after world war ii coloured, full dress uniforms again reintroduced ceremonial occasions brigade of guards , limited extent regimental bands. officers (and later senior non-commissioned officers) resumed wearing mess uniforms in traditional colours 1956 on. these still worn, although regimental amalgamations have led numerous changes pre-war models.

the bd uniform replaced in 1961 green, cotton combat uniforms. after world war ii design of other ranks bd blouses had been modified wearing collared shirts ties (like officers pattern), , used time, around barracks, disposed of completely.

a non-commissioned officer of jersey field squadron royal engineers on duty in full dress uniform, 2012

with limited exceptions, unique regimental full dress uniforms disappeared after 1939; today worn, on ceremonial occasions, bands , corps of drums, representatives on parade (e.g. regimental pioneers, or forming guard of honour) , regiments of household division. in regiments replaced generic dark blue uniform known no 1 dress. dated plain patrol uniforms worn officers prior 1914 informal undress uniform. version had been worn units in 1937 coronation of king george vi , queen elizabeth had not been made general issue @ time. in form adopted after world war ii, regiments distinguished coloured piping on shoulder straps, coloured hat bands, buttons , badges. scottish regiments retained kilts or trews distinctive doublets (in piper green or dark blue) of former scarlet uniform. rifles had dark green uniforms , cavalry retained number of special features such crimson trousers of 11th hussars or quartered caps of lancer regiments. white, lightweight tunic (no 3 dress) authorised use in tropics, or during summer months in warmer temperate climates (such bermuda). blue home service helmets not worn part of no 1 dress uniform, except members of bands or corps of drums retained old full dress uniforms, @ regimental expense. english rifle regiments amalgamated royal green jackets, continued wear dark green dress uniform, , black buttons , belts. recent changes have brought royal green jackets , light infantry single regiment rifles, continues wear dark green.

berets introduced royal tank corps in first world war , use became more widespread in british army during , after second world war replace side caps wear combat uniforms when protective headgear not being worn. originally, khaki standard colour units, specialist units adopted coloured berets distinguish themselves. example, airborne forces adopted maroon or red beret. has since been adopted many other parachute units around world. commandos adopted green beret. special air service (sas) adopted white beret changing beige or sand coloured one. 1944 wore maroon airborne forces beret beige beret re-adopted following re-formation of regular sas in malaya. khaki replaced generic colour berets after war dark blue, , colour worn units not authorised use distinctively coloured beret.

berets fall outside scope of article peaked cap, coloured hat band, intended worn no 1 dress uniform, berets common form of headdress seen other orders of dress , worn in no1 , 2 dress regiments , corps (for full list see british army uniforms). khaki, peaked cap may worn officers in units no 2 khaki service dress.

a parade officer cadets @ royal military academy sandhurst

the blue or green no 1 dress never universally adopted after initial introduction in 1947. reason 1 of economy, although criticised being similar police , other civilian uniforms - lacking recognisable military status of both scarlet , khaki. khaki no 2 dress being usual order of dress parades , formal occasions.

as noted above, practice of issuing other ranks in line regiments full sets of both service dress , dress uniforms ended in 1914 , never returned to. today, exceptions noted above, full dress or no 1 dress uniforms held in limited quantities common stock, , issued detachments on occasional special ceremonial occasions. practices vary between units , historic items of uniform more appear tradition particularly strong. example, royal military academy sandhurst wore scarlet , blue review order uniforms until world war i, substituted khaki service dress parade 1919 1939 , holds dark blue no 1 dress uniforms use of cadets. royal military police retain latter order of dress general issue.

royal air force


full dress uniform of royal air force in 1920s (c. l. lambe).

historically, royal air force regulations permitted wearing of full dress uniform in both home , warm-weather variants. although home wear version of full dress no longer worn (except in modified form raf bandsmen [1]), tropical full ceremonial dress continues authorised.

the temperate full dress uniform introduced in april 1920. consisted of single-breasted jacket in blue-grey stand-up collar. rank indicated in gold braid on lower sleeve , white gloves worn. british army after 1914, full dress not general issue during inter-war period, authorized wear specific categories such bandsmen , commissioned officers. latter wore full dress infrequent occasions such attendance @ court levees , social functions such weddings. military attaches , royal aides de camp amongst few serving officers might have regular occasions wear full dress.

initially full dress uniform worn service dress cap. however, in 1921 new form of head-dress introduced. designed resemble original flying helmet , consisted of leather skull cap trimmed black rabbit fur. helmet featured ostrich feather plume connected @ raf badge. helmet never popular , junior officers permitted wear service dress hat on full dress occasions.

group captain hrh duke of york (later king george vi) wore raf full dress @ wedding lady elizabeth bowes-lyon in 1923. duke wore or carried full dress headgear rather service dress cap.

royal navy

wilhelm ii, emperor of germany, admiral of fleet in british royal navy, wearing full dress uniform, 1891

since mid-eighteenth century, when naval uniforms introduced, flag officers had different full-dress , undress versions, latter being worn day day, former formal occasions. late nineteenth century, officer s full dress uniform consisted of navy double-breasted tailcoat white facings edged in gold (on collar , cuff-slashes), gold lace (indicating rank) on cuffs, epaulettes, sword , sword-belt, worn gold-laced trousers , cocked hat. order of uniform lasted through first half of twentieth century, , worn prince philip @ coronation of elizabeth ii. in 1956, however, abolished, leaving no. 1 uniform formal order of dress. subsequently, few years later, full dress uniform reintroduced in form of ceremonial day dress - similar old full dress, without epaulettes , slashes , worn peaked cap.