Facing color help
 

All,
Not sure of all the regiments that wore dark green facings as of 1914. I know the DLI did, but there were others as well? It may be that "green" was universal?

Thanks,

CB

Other green facings:

Northumberland Fusiliers: Gosling green
Devonshire Regt.: Lincoln green
Green Howards: Grass green
South Wales Borderers : Grass green
Dorsetshire Regt.: Grass green
Sherwood Foresters: Lincoln green
Connaught Rangers: Green
The only "dark green" listed is for the DLI.

Photo searches of full dress tunics show what appears to be the same shade of green for the Devons, Connaught Rangers, DLI etc. :confused:

CB

Worcestershire Regiment Grass Green (emerald).

Worcestershire Regt. had yellow facings until 1881, then white until 1920, when the grass green was issued.
Thus, in 1914, they wore white facings.

Thank you for putting me right. I was basing my observations on this Worcestershire Regiment officer's mess jacket which is a lovely shade of Grass (emerald) green.

Given that the British Army has been continually cut and diced over the last 150 years, I shouldn't be surprised that facing colours were changed.

Does anyone know the reason why the facing colours were changed? Or was it change for the sake of change?

Complete rehash of my original post - the 29th Foot had yellow facings, the 36th Foot green, they amalgamated in 1881 as 1st and 2nd Bn Worcestershire Regiment, the new regiment wearing white facings, later green.

In the 1881 reorganisation, all old and valued facing colours had to go. From then on:
Royal regiments: blue;
English and Welsh regiments: white;
Scots regiments: yellow;
Irish regiments: green.
This probably to avoid endless quarrels over what all the merged regiments should have.

From that point in time many regiments tried to revert to their old colours. The Buffs were the first that succeeded: someone invented a brew that could be used to make the white into buff. To be applied at regimental costs.

More were to follow (I have somewhere a list, when people are interested I will type it down in a post here).

As the facing coulor was also used on the regimental colours, some regiments even, more or less, refused to be provided with new colours until after they succeeded in restoring.

Thanks, Lee and Henk for your detailed replies.

The colour change at the 1881 amalgamations make sense. The later Worcestershire Regiments change from white to green seems to have been a struggle for dominance between the 1st and 2nd battalions, the old 29th and 36th.