The sudden expansion of the British Army to a strength undreamed of prior to August, 1914, brought in its train an ever-increasing desire on the part of the public for a better knowledge of the Army and of its glorious traditions, a subject that had previously attracted little or no attention outside military circles. Even among an average body of soldiers there is curiously enough a lack of knowledge of military history outside that closely associated with their own regiment. Yet the history of the British Army is unequalled by any other in the world for splendid achievement, while the regimental histories and traditions teem with instances of devotion to duty, gallantry in the face of overwhelming odds, and self-sacrifice of the most glorious nature. These traditions are highly treasured in the regiments, and their preservation has tended to build up and sustain in each unit that splendid esprit de corps which has animated all ranks, and made almost the impossible possible to our gallant soldiers in the presence of hardships and danger, and has led them to face death with a courage and heroism unsurpassed in the history of the world.

The traditions of the British Army stretch back over four centuries, during which it has been the acknowledged means of winning and building up the greatest Empire the world has ever known. The Army's deeds are a sealed book so far as the general public are concerned, for military matters except in times of actual war have never been a popular subject, the great heroes of the battlefield being far less known to the British public than popular performers on the football field or pampered professional boxers.

THE ROMANCE OF MILITARY HISTORY

The history of the British Army is full of romance and interest and many curious customs, incidents and observances are associated with most of the regiments. Each regiment has peculiarities of custom which it has made its own by long use, besides winning unofficial titles and nicknames commemorative of some deed of daring or peculiarity of dress or tradition. The following pages deal with these, and if in perusing them the reader is encouraged to learn more of the glorious history and traditions of the British Army, which he will do with increasing satisfaction and interest, the author will feel amply rewarded.

Although outwardly all regiments or battalions of one branch of the service are alike to the ordinary observer, there are, however, many little differences distinguishing them. These little differences are for the most part the sole remaining links with those gallant regiments of the past from which they have descended, and whose glorious achievements are a subject of great pride to all ranks. For instance, in the Royal Artillery there may be no difference to be detected between the various batteries or companies, yet each has traditions and subtle differences highly prized, as for instance the Chestnut Troop, the Rocket Troop, and the Battleaxe Company, all reminiscent of glorious incidents in their history.

CAVALRY DISTINCTIONS

The Household Cavalry are now the only British Cavalry still wearing the polished steel cuirass. Yet each of the regiments has little differences apparent only to the close observer. Thus, the 1st Life Guards wear a red cord as their shoulder belts and black sheep-skins on their saddles, the 2nd Life Guards wearing a blue cord and white sheep-skins. The seven regiments of Dragoon Guards differ somewhat from each other in point of uniform. They, with the Royal Engineers, are the only regiments in the army to wear velvet facings. Their helmets are of brass, the helmets of the Household Cavalry and Dragoons being of white metal. The three regiments of Dragoons are representative of England, Scotland and Ireland, being the 1st Royal Dragoons, Royal Scots Greys and Inniskilling Dragoons, the Greys being distinctive by reason of the colour of their horses and their bearskin head-dress.

Each of the twelve regiments of Hussars, introduced into the service in 1806 as Light Dragoons, has also certain distinctions of dress, as also have the six regiments of Lancers, the best known of which is perhaps the 17th Lancers on account of its grim crest, a skull with crossbones, which, with its motto "Or Glory" has led to its popular name of "The Death or Glory Boys." It is an interesting fact that the 17th Lancers in 1795 provided a detachment for service on H.M.S. "Hermione" as Marines, and were promptly nicknamed "The Horse Marines." Lancer regiments were introduced into the British Army in 1816.

Each regiment of Dragoon Guards carries a standard on ceremonial occasions, and Dragoon regiments carry a guidon (a swallow-tailed standard). Hussar and Lancer regiments do not carry standards, bearing their battle honours on their appointments.

PRIVILEGES OF THE FOOT GUARDS

The regiments of Foot Guards, known as the Brigade of Guards, have many privileges and duties reserved to them alone. They claim the privilege of guarding the Royal Palaces and form part of the Household Troops of the Sovereign. The First Company of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards is known as the King's Company and is comprised of picked men of particularly fine physique, none under 6 feet in height being admitted to it. This company has the right to carry on parade on state and ceremonial occasions a colour of crimson silk, the gift of the Sovereign, being the only company in the Army so privileged. The First Company of the Welsh Guards, formed in 1915, is known as The Prince of Wales's Company, and is also composed of picked men. The Scots Guards is the only regular Scottish regiment to have drum and fife bands. The Quartermasters of the Brigade of Guards wear cocked hats with plumes, the Grenadier and Scots Guards, white; the Coldstream Guards, red; and the Irish Guards, blue. The sergeant-majors of the Foot Guards wear an elaborate Royal Coat of Arms on their right sleeves above the elbow.

No chevrons or badges are worn by staff-sergeants of the Foot Guards in undress uniform.

The Royal or King's Colour in regiments of Foot Guards is of crimson silk, and bears the distinctions conferred by Royal authority. The regimental colour of Foot Guards is the Union Jack, and battle honours are borne on both colours. The King's Colour of the Infantry of the Line is the Union Jack, with the regimental badge superimposed, but the regimental colour is distinctive in each regiment and the battle honours are borne on these alone.

PIPERS' PECULIARITIES

Regarding pipers it is a curious fact that the Regulations provide for an issue of fifes to Scottish regiments but not bagpipes, which have to be provided regimentally, although with the exception of the Scots Guards, the fifes are never drawn from stores. In the Royal Scots, Royal Scots Fusiliers, King's Own Scottish Borderers and Scottish Rifles, pipers are officially borne on the strength, but no clothing allowed for them, which has to be provided regimentally. The sergeant-pipers of the Scots Guards alone wear a crown and silver chevrons on their doublet sleeves, all other sergeant-pipers wearing gold chevrons without a crown.

There are many interesting peculiarities connected with uniforms or accoutrements. The Kilmarnock bonnets worn by the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, which were designed and issued for wear after the South African War, are quite distinctive, as also are the chacos of the Scottish Rifles and Highland Light Infantry, the former having a plume in front and the latter a ball. The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment is the only regiment in the Army wearing a sacred emblem as a badge, while the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) claim to have a far more ancient lineage than any other English regiment.

ANIMAL BADGES

The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment wears the Lion of England for a badge, and it is interesting to note that many other regiments go to the animal kingdom for their crests, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment wearing an antelope as a badge; the King's Liverpool Regiment, West Yorkshire Regiment and Royal West Kent Regiment, a horse; the Buffs, the Scottish Rifles, Royal Berkshire Regiment, North Staffordshire Regiment and York and Lancaster Regiment, a dragon; the Gordon Highlanders, Royal Munster Fusiliers, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Leicestershire Regiment and Hampshire Regiment, a tiger; the West Riding Regiment, Connaught Rangers, Seaforth Highlanders, and the Highland Light Infantry, an elephant; the Royal Irish Fusiliers, an eagle; the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a cat; and the Bedfordshire Regiment, a stag.

QUICK STEPPING INFANTRY

The Light Infantry regiments wear a bugle or French horn as part of their badge, and together with Rifle regiments march with a much quicker step than do other infantry regiments. The regulation pace is 120 to the minute, but Rifle and Light Infantry regiments step much quicker, 140 to 160, except when marching with other troops, then their pace is that laid down for the army generally. They have bugle bands instead of drum and fife bands.

The Northumberland Fusiliers are the only regiment to celebrate St. George's Day, and are looked upon as the representative English infantry regiment in the British Army and their crest of St. George and the Dragon is unique.

All Fusilier regiments wear sealskin fusilier caps with distinctive plumes, and a grenade as a badge. The Royal Fusiliers is best known as the City of London Regiment, and has some peculiar privileges in consequence, one of these being the right to march through the City of London with fixed bayonets, colours flying, and drums beating, without first obtaining the permission of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen. This privilege is shared by the Buffs, the Grenadier Guards and Royal Marines only.

The Norfolk Regiment has a curious crest, being the figure of Britannia as it used to appear on the copper coinage, and is the only regiment not having a Royal title, of which His Majesty is Colonel-in-Chief. The Lincolnshire Regiment was for some years after being raised the only British regiment of infantry to wear blue coats.

THE MINDEN REGIMENTS

The Suffolk Regiment was one of the six regiments of British infantry that performed the remarkable feat of charging and utterly destroying a column of French cavalry, superior in numbers to themselves. This was at Minden, the other five regiments being the Lancashire Fusiliers, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Hampshire Regiment and the Yorkshire Light Infantry. The regiments passed to the battlefield through gardens of roses in full bloom, and the soldiers picked the blossoms and fixed them in their hats, and in commemoration of their victory they enjoy the right of wearing roses in their head-dress on the anniversary of the battle.

The Prince Albert's Somerset Light Infantry has two peculiar distinctions, one being that it is the only regiment without a Royal title to wear blue for its facings, and the other being that the sergeants enjoy the right of wearing their sashes over the left shoulder the same as the officers, in commemoration of their devoted gallantry at the battle of Culloden, when the casualties among the officers were so numerous that the sergeants were left in command.

The Cheshire Regiment also enjoys a peculiar privilege, that of wearing oak leaves in its head-dress and as a wreath on its colour staves on all Royal ceremonial parades, in commemoration of its rally round its Sovereign who took shelter at a critical moment beneath an oak tree during the battle of Dettingen.

WELSH TRADITIONS

Among the peculiarities of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers is that of wearing a bunch of black ribbons fastened to the back of the collar. This is a survival of the patch of black leather which in former days was worn by all soldiers on the back to prevent the grease from the powdered pigtails from soiling the tunics. The regiment also enjoys the privilege, common to all Welsh regiments, of being led on parade by a goat, these animals being generally gifts from the Sovereign.

The South Wales Borderers have a highly-prized distinction, that of bearing a silver wreath of immortelles fastened to their King's colour, in commemoration of the devoted bravery of the regiment in the Zulu War.

All the Welsh regiments carry on their colours, or as badges, the device of the Plume of the Prince of Wales, the Rising Sun, and the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr.

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were for many years the only regiment in the British Army using the old Irish war pipes, but now other Irish regiments have adopted the custom and possess full pipe bands. The Irish war pipe has but two drones, as distinctive from the Scottish bagpipes which have three.

THE GLORY OF THE GLOUCESTERS AND WORCESTERS

The Gloucestershire Regiment has a unique distinction, that of wearing a miniature replica of its badge at the back of its head-dress, bestowed for its gallantry at the battle of Alexandria, when being suddenly attacked front and rear simultaneously, the rear ranks of the regiment turned about and beat the enemy off.

The Worcestershire Regiment has as its motto the word "Firm," bestowed for steadiness in the face of the foe, and naturally highly prized.

The Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment enjoys two peculiar distinctions, the first that of being the only regiment in the British Army bearing the name of anyone except a Royal personage as part of its title, and also of being the only regiment to wear scarlet facings to its red tunics.

THE BORDERS' UNIQUE HONOUR

The Border Regiment alone among the regiments of the Army bears the battle honour of "Arroyo dos Molinos," although a number of regiments took part in that great battle.

The Welsh Regiment, like the Welsh Guards, has a motto in the Welsh language. The former served with distinction as marines on board the fleet under Lord Nelson.

The Black Watch wears a red hackle or feather in its bonnets, a distinction won on the battlefield, and its pipers are the only ones in the army wearing feather bonnets instead of glengarry caps.

THE GREENJACKETS

The King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade are known as the Greenjackets, from the colour of their full dress uniform, and like all Rifle regiments wear fur busbies. They do not carry colours, their battle honours being emblazoned on their appointments. They do not carry their rifles at the slope but at the trail. There are two other Rifle regiments in the British Army, these being the Scottish Rifles (The Cameronians) and the Royal Irish Rifles.

THE ELEPHANT COLOURS.

The Highland Light Infantry and Seaforth Highlanders enjoy the privilege of carrying a third colour on parade, this having been presented to them to commemorate their bravery at the battle of Assaye, and being emblazoned with an elephant is known as the Assaye or Elephant Colour. The Seaforth is the only regiment to have a Gaelic motto.

The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders have a larger proportion of Gaelic-speaking soldiers in their ranks than any other, most of them hailing from the most northern part of the Highlands.

BATTLE HONOURS.

Before the great war on the Continent the King's Royal Rifle Corps were credited with the highest number of battle honours, viz., 40, the Gloucester Regiment being second with 34, then in order the Rifle Brigade 33, Highland Light Infantry 32, Black Watch and Gordon Highlanders 31 each, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Royal Scots, South Staffordshire Regiment and South Lancashire Regiment 29 each, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 27, Sherwood Foresters, Seaforth Highlanders, Royal Munster Fusiliers, Northamptonshire Regiment and Royal Dublin Fusiliers 25 each, and The Buffs, East Surrey Regiment and Grenadier Guards 24 each. The 16th Lancers have the highest number of honours amongst the Cavalry regiments, viz., 18, the 9th Lancers having 16, and the 14th Hussars 15.

Many other matters of interest attaching to each regiment will be found in the following pages.

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