Caps buttons
 

Hello! I have a question...I have seen sidecaps and peaked caps buttons ans sometimes I see regimental buttons, but in others just the british army coat of arms...so I was wondering...wich is the criteria in using regimental or army buttons?? Thank you!

Buttons
 

Most infantry regiments pre WWI had the standard coat of arms buttons for ORs, Officers had Regimental buttons. Full dress came out again after the war and some regiments used regimental buttons at that time but I am unsure of when as it is after my period of study.

Colin

So the general rule is regimental buttons only for officers, right?

Scottish Regiments did not have headdress buttons because a Glengarry, TOS for example, did not support a button. However, like the rest of the Army we adopted the wearing of the General Service Pattern Button when the order was received in 1871 for a universal button to be worn on uniforms, this was done as cost saving exercise by War Office, to save manufacturing of different pattern buttons for all of the regiments of the British Army. Moreover, this turned out to be a foolish move, as a few years later 1874 that collar badges were introduced on the uniforms, regiments trying to keep their identity on the uniform having lost the button, this turned out to be a lot more expensive and troublesome, with the various different designs as one can imagen the cost well out weight the cost of some buttons, in the long run as it turned out.

The introduction of the general service buttons was not popular. That said, the regimental button never really disappeared altogether, it continued to be worn by some units in parade dress. However, with khaki, rather than scarlet, now being the universal colour of active service uniform across the British Army, there was demand for more regimental identification on uniforms, over and above collar badges, simply because these items, in some locations and climates where the British soldier was called to serve, were inappropriate and could not be worn.

After the First World War, soldiers were permitted to purchase a blue patrol jacket, for use when walking out. The jacket had to be of the regulation pattern, cut away for Scottish soldiers, and regimental buttons were worn by soldiers on this jacket, for unit identification.

The regimental button never really disappeared from the uniform of the British soldier, the array of examples in books and on the marked is testament to that. The humble regimental button is as important as the regimental cap badge, both of which, when worn by the soldier on his uniform, add a sense of splendour to an otherwise drab, no-frills khaki uniform.

1. Officers Gilt Button The King's Own Borderers 1837-1881. 2. OR's Brass Button The King's Own Borderers 1837-1881. 3. OR's Brass Button King's Own Scottish Borderers 1901-1952

PS. When I was in the Infantry Junior Leader Battalion at Oswestry we did have small GSB on the side of our Forage Caps in Brass which required cleaning, worn all the Juniors of 54 regiments represented at the time.
Best
Hiram

Reallt interesting Hiram, thank you!