Quote:
Originally Posted by badjez
I would suspect that No1 is pre-ww2, and was worn on the blue grey shirt in India, at a time when shirt sleeve order wasn't official but common sense allowed for tunics to be removed in hot climates.
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That would make perfect sense. Other than making insignia removeable to foil snipers, the slip-ons also extended the life of such things, especially in the days before washing
machines, when the dhobi wallahs used a flat rock or concrtete slab to beat the dirt out of garments!
It's possible that the red edged pips belonged to a British officer on transfer - there were many, especially ater the IA units saw action and took officer casualties which their own trainig facilities could not replace as quickly as needed. It's also, I think, possible that one or more of ther Battalions of the Mahrattas used 'Rifles' or 'LI' style pips, possibly in defiance of regulations, as a regimental disticntion. I've commented elesewhere about the tendency of all armies to 'improve' on the official dres rules whenever possible.
