General Staff shoulder titles and insignia in WW2
 

When an officer was promoted to full colonel and above, they became members of the General Staff and started to wear red hatbands and gorget patches on their battledress. I’m presuming that they were expected to remove any regimental shoulder titles but kept any relevant Div/Bde insignia. Is this correct?

In short, yes - provided. of course, that they remained with that formation.

Short answer, Yes. Formation etc signs would of course be those of the formation they were currently serving with (if any).

Jon

There are many pictures of General ‘Boy’ Browning wearing Grenadier Guards shoulder titles and red tabs on his Battle Dress. Who would tell him to take them down?

Tim

He apparently designed and wore his own uniform? WTF?

Thank you for all the replies. It was the picture of Browning that partly prompted the question! Guards officers seem to have had a problem giving up their shoulder titles!

General Browning's wife Daphne du Maurier supposedly came up with the colour of the airborne beret so meddling in uniform design seems to have been a family trait.

Isn't it the case that some Staff Officers wore different coloured hat bands and gorget patches depending on the Corps, Medical and Ordnance for example?

Rob

Selection of Gorget collar tabs including RAMC (Maroon), RAPC (yellow), RAEC (Cambridge Blue), RADC (Green) and RMAS Officer Cadet (White)

Tim

Montgomery would have.

Certainly within the chain of command it should have happened.
However, Monty was not himself much of a stickler for dress regulations, remembering his only instruction on dress in the 8th Army - “Top hats will not be worn!”

So let us picture the scene when the two ‘difficult’ personalities actually met:
Monty: “Well Boy you really should not be wearing those shoulder titles, you are a Lieutenant General.”
Browning: “But Monty, what about your black beret with two cap badges….”

Tim

:D:D:D

Browning: “But Monty, what about your black beret with two cap badges….”
Monty: “What black beret?”

I am thinking I'd seen a picture of Monty's black beret with near half a dozen cap badges on it? Did a quick Google search but didn't find it. I think I have the picture stored somewhere and if so I'll share it.

Terry

That would the Australian slouch hat covered in 8th Army cap badges.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...976_E19699.jpg

Tim

I wonder where it is? It must have survived? Montys HQ caravan and some of his kit is in the vehicle museum part at Duxford.