Dress Codes and Head Dress

The British Army have a dress code for every occasion. Below are listed the 14 dress codes used by the Army during the 1980's. Further down the page you will find information on the colours of the dress caps and Berets used by the various regiments.

Dress Codes

• Full Dress:   Traditional Dress for Household troops whilst on Public duties.

• No.1:     Blues (1947 Pattern Blues) - Temperate ceremonial dress uniform No.1 introduced in the 1950's. Supplied to wear on 'appropriate Occasions' to: Senior Ranks, Bandsman, Drummers, Buglers, Pipers, RMP, Royal Signal Motorcycle Display team and Sandhurst Cadets.

• No.2:     Temperate Service Dress - Best Dress and Parade uniform since 1960.

• No.3:     Warm-weather ceremonial - White versions of No.1 Dress; issued to Bands, Corps of Drummers and Buglers.

• No.4:     Officers Warm-weather service dress - For Formal occasions (not Parade)

• No.5:     Battle Dress - Last listed in 1969, now obsolete.

• No.6:     Warm-weather Parade - Worn for Ceremonial and formal Parades.

• No.7:     Warm-weather Barracks.

• No.8:     Dress Temperate DPM - Main Combat dress for all ranks.

• No.9:     Tropical DPM Combat - 1976 version of No.8 Dress.

• No.10:    Temperate Mess - Officers, WOs and Senior NCOs in there Messes on formal occasions.

• No.11:    Warm Weather Mess Dress - Warm weather version of Dress Code No.10.

• No.12:    Protective Clothing - Work coveralls used by AFV crewmen, REME, RAOC, Cooks and Surgeons.

• No.13:    Temperate Barracks - Interchangeable with No.14 Dress since 1960. 

• No.14:    Shirt-sleeve order (May to October before 18.30hrs) - Interchangeable with  No.13 Dress. The shirt sleeves are rolled up above the elbow.

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Regimental head-dress

Berets

The Normal everyday head-dress of NCOs and Soldiers (and in some regiments of all ranks) is the beret or national equivalent. which is usually  Dark Blue in colour.

Note:

The Royal Marines wear a Green beret and the RAF Regiment an Air Force Blue beret.  

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Dress Cap Colours

The colours below are representative and not an exact match.

Regiment	Cap Colours
	Main	Band	Piping	Welt behind crown
The Life Guards	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Blues and Royals	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Royal Horse Artillery	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards	Blue	Blue		Blue
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards	Blue	Yellow		Blue
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards	Blue	Royal Blue		Royal Blue
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards	Green	Primrose Yellow		Primrose Yellow
The Queens Own Hussars	Scarlet	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Queens Royal Irish Hussars	Red	Red		Red
9th/12th Royal Lancers	Scarlet	Scarlet		Blue
The Royal Hussars	Crimson	Crimson		Crimson
13th/18th Royal Hussars	White	Blue
14th/20th King’s Hussars	Red	Red		Red
15th/19th The King’s Royal Hussars	Scarlet	Scarlet		Scarlet
17 th/21st Lancers	Scarlet	Blue		Blue
Royal Tank Regiment	Black Beret
Royal Regiment of Artillery	Blue	Scarlet	Scarlet
Corps of Royal Engineers	Blue	Blue	Scarlet
Royal Corps of Signals	Blue	Blue		Blue
Grenadier Guards	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Coldstream Guards	Blue	White	White
Scots Guards	Blue	Scarlet/White/Blue diced Band	Scarlet
Irish Guards	Blue	Green	Green
Welsh Guards	Blue	Black	Blue
The Royal Scots	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet/Blue/White Dicing, Scarlet Toorie
The Queen’s Regiment	Blue	Scarlet	Scarlet
The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The King’s Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Royal Anglian Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Light Infantry	Rifle Green	Rifle Green		Rifle Green
The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Green Howards	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Royal Highland Fusiliers	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet/Blue/White Dicing, Scarlet Toorie
The Cheshire Regiment	Blue	Blue	Scarlet
The Royal Welch Fusiliers	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Royal Regiment of Wales	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The King’s Own Scottish Borderers	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet/Blue/White Dicing, Scarlet Toorie
The Royal Irish Rangers	Green Bonnet
The Gloucestershire Regiment	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
The Royal Hampshire Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
The Staffordshire Regiment
The Black Watch	Blue Bonnet
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Queen’s own Highlanders	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet Toorie
The Gordon Highlanders	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet/Blue/White Dicing, Scarlet Toorie
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders	Blue Glengarry, Scarlet/White Dicing, Scarlet Toorie
The Parachute Regiment	Maroon Beret
The Brigade of Gurkhas	Kilmarnock Cap
The Royal Green Jackets	Rifle Green	Rifle Green	Black
Special Air Service Regiment	Tan Beret
Army Air Corps	Light Blue Beret
Royal Corps of Transport	Blue	Blue	White
Royal Army Ordnance Corps	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Corps of Royal Military Police	Red	Blue
Royal Army Pay Corps	Blue	Blue		Primrose Yellow
Royal Army Veterinary Corps	Blue	Maroon		Maroon
Military Provost Staff Corps	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
Royal Army Educational Corps
Royal Army Dental Corps	Blue	Emerald Green		Emerald Green
Royal Pioneer Corps	Blue	Scarlet		Scarlet
Intelligence Corps	Blue	Green		Green
Army Physical Training Corps	Blue	Blue		Scarlet
Army Catering Corps	Green	Grebe Grey		Grebe Grey
Women’s Royal Army Corps	Green

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Stable Belts

Each regiment and branch of service has its own unique Stable belt which normally is in the regimental colours.

Information on the various colours and styles can be found at: stablebelts.co.uk

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