Full Dress Distinctions for Staff Sergeants and Warrant Officers of the Highland Infantry Regiments c1910-1914

[Muerrisch]

this seems widespread

 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Muerrisch said:

this seems widespread

 

Agreed.  We were referring to Highland regiments only (that was the subject of Gordon92’s posts), that apart from the Foot Guards, were the only regiments with two forms of white dress, drill shell jacket and tropical frock.  The other line regiments fairly consistently show stripes of either, red worsted on off white backing, or gold on red backing.

The highlanders below have red worsted stripes, although not always on white backing.

Edited 2 May by FROGSMILE

[Muerrisch]

Not only chevrons, badges of all descriptions appear on the India whites of several arms of the service with a non-white backing.

[FROGSMILE]

10 hours ago, Muerrisch said:

Not only chevrons, badges of all descriptions appear on the India whites of several arms of the service with a non-white backing.

We are moving way off the Highlanders now.  No one has suggested differently if you’ve followed the posts. The white backing was purely in connection with the rank and appointment badges of battalion staff where they combine, e.g. rifles, swords, or drums with stripes, as per the Seaforth Highlanders Sergeant Instructor of Musketry up thread.  Ergo, not badges worn by marksman, or any other skill at arms proficiency badges of the rank and file.  The supply of standard badges on scarlet was widespread, as we’ve always known them to have been.

It’s intriguing to consider how the staff’s white backed badges were provided, and I don’t know if from the Ordnance supply chain ( as listed in PVCNs), or perhaps procured regimentally, given the very small numbers required.  All we know for sure is that they existed, as the photographs have unequivocally shown.  So white were they that one had to examine the images closely to see them, given that they were stitched to an equally white background.

Edited 3 May by FROGSMILE

[6RRF]

17 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

It was for full sergeants, as you know.  The point Gordon92 was making I think is that white was correct as per the jacket material, just as you’ve mentioned.  It’s true of just about every clothing I can think of that sometimes the correct pattern isn’t available and so something else has to be used in lieu.  A sort of obvious outcome really.

 

This splendid portrait is of course also interesting in showing the rank and qualification badges attached with hooks and eyes so that they can be removed for dhobying the unform

[FROGSMILE]

56 minutes ago, 6RRF said:

This splendid portrait is of course also interesting in showing the rank and qualification badges attached with hooks and eyes so that they can be removed for dhobying the unform

Yes absolutely.  I’ve seen many like that over the years.  It was also the case that holes were pierced in the waist of jackets on each side and reinforced with whip stitching so that the belt hooks could be fitted, and easily removed.  Also buttons in many cases, whose loops were secured on the inside with small split rings.  The dhobying was robust and often involved beating on flat rocks that would otherwise damage the insignia of all types.