Osprey Men-at-Arms 182 : British Battle Insignia (1) 1914-1918

The British soldiers who marched off to war in 1914 were clothed in the recently-introduced drab (erroneously referred to as khaki) service dress. Their red coats, recognised for centuries as the mark of the British soldier, were put into store, with the remainder of their full dress, never to be universally issued again. Unit designations were lettered 'in clear' on all vehicles, and on notice boards and camp flags. The only higher formation insignia were represented by pennants and flags flown at headquarters; brassards worn by staff; and legends on headquarter vehicles, all of which indicated precisely the formation involved. A casual observer could quite easily identify units and formation headquarters by simply reading the shoulder titles of the soldiers or the designations painted on their vehicles. It was some time before steps were taken to remedy this lapse in security. By the time of the armistice in November 1918, insignia in the British Army had undergone a considerable change. Regimental badges, always a source of unit pride and morale, remained, but were rarely seen in the front line. There, their place had been taken by a new form of heraldry - the 'battle patch'. Mike Chappell presents an investigation of First World War British battle insignia, accompanied by museum and contemporary photographs, and eight full page colour plates by the author himself.

Contents

• Introduction
• Identification in Battle
• British Army Divisions 1914-18
• The Plates