British Army Uniform developed along roughly the same lines as uniform in other European armies. Its signature colour standardised on red, for foot units, and dark blue for most others, at the end of the seventeenth century, then khaki (for everyday wear) and blue (for parade) in the 1930s. Netherwear and equipment followed European fashion. Exotic costume, such as that of hussars and zouaves, was either embraced late and toned down, or not embraced at all. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisations activity. ...

The history of British army uniform is notable for an early and even eager embrace of camouflage in the form of khaki during the late nineteenth century. This reflected the exigencies of colonial war and the freedom allowed, and taken by, many of the officers who fought it. But it may also have had an aesthetic impulse. Armies in Europe were settling on mostly dark blue tunics and black equipment as a halfway house between display and practicality. This was not possible for the British army, wedded as it was to red tunics which in turn required white equipment to look pleasing. To become less conspicuous, the British army had no choice but to abandon red altogether on service.

British army uniform currently exists in several grades, which are worn depending on the requirements of a unit or individual, ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress. While there are officially fifteen different grades (or 'Numbers'), many of these are rarely worn or phased out altogether. Note that uniform distinctions can vary greatly from one Regiment or Corps to another, and the following descriptions are a generalisation. A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... A corps (a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals...

Uniform Numbers:

• Full Dress
  • The most elaborate order dress, which is now rarely worn except by the Foot Guards, Household Cavalry, King's Troop and military bands when performing State or Ceremonial duties.
• Levée Dress
  • A special order of Full Dress primarily for wearing at levées and official balls. Probably not seen since levées were stopped on the outbreak of World War II.
• No.1: Blues
  • Dark blue tunic and trousers (/ overalls) (or skirt) with a blue peaked cap. There are some colour distinctions: for example, the tunic and trousers of the Light Division are dark green, the caps of the Light Cavalry regiments are red, and the overalls (trousers) of the King's Royal Hussars are crimson. Blues are only worn on ceremonial occasions, and, in some regiments, by the Duty Officer.
• No.2: Service Dress
  • Khaki jacket with trousers or a skirt. Highland Regiments wear a Kilt and the King's Royal Hussars wear crimson trousers. It is worn with a cap, however some units wear their beret, or Glengarry, and The Queen's Royal Hussars wear their tent hat (the only head dress worn without a cap badge or other distinction). This uniform is worn for most formal duties by all units.
• No.3: Tropical Full Dress
  • Formerly all white uniforms worn with No.1 dress cap. Since the 1970s a white linen tunic worn with No.1 dress cap and trousers.
• No.4: Officers tropical Service Dress
  • Resembles the Officer's No. 2 dress except in tan tropical worsted material and worn for activities other than parades and formations, which neccesitates either the No. 3 Dress or No. 6 Dress.
• No.5: WW2 Battle Dress Now no longer worn, replaced by No. 2 Dress in 1962.
• No.6: OR’s tropical Service Dress
  • The "bush jacket" uniform (in Australia, this is known as the "safari uniform"). It consists of a tan bush-style 4-button jacket worn with or without a shirt and tie underneath and tan trousers. It is worn by all ranks for parades and formations (as with No. 2 Dress), unless No. 3 dress is worn, and by ORs for all other occasions.
• No.7: Tropical Working Dress
  • The tropical shirt-and-trousers uniform, consisting of a tan long-sleeve shirt worn with tan "battle dress" trousers (kilt or trews for Scottish regiments), stable belt and regimental headgear.
• No.8: Combat Dress
  • DPM field jacket (smock) and trousers, worn with beret, helmet or camouflaged hat. The current issue is known as Combat Soldier 95, although older, specialist (eg., the DPM Parachute Smock and Smock Windproof DPM)or private purchase items are often worn.
• No.9: Tropical Combat Dress
  • Identical to the No. 8 DPM, except it is made of lighter weight rip-stop cotton and is patterned for either the jungle or desert environments (unlike the U.S. Army, which has the specialized Army Combat Uniform for all non-polar environments, the British Army still has separate patterns for each region of the world).
• No.10: Mess Dress
  • Short Jacket, with which men wear trousers (/overalls) or a kilt, and women a long skirt. Worn by the rank of Sergeant upwards for formal functions, its colours can vary greatly from unit to unit but generally match the traditional full dress of the regiment or corps. Thus jackets can be scarlet, dark blue or green with lapels and waistcoats in regimental colours.
• No.11: Tropical Mess Dress. A white jacket is substituted for the coloured one of temperate mess dress. Waistcoats are not worn.
• No.12: Working Dress
  • Formerly Olive green shirt and trousers, it has been replaced with smart Combat Dress: ironed shirt and trousers worn with beret and stable belt (identical to that of No. 7 Dress). The current uniform worn by soldiers most of the time, it is to be supplemented by the new Barrack Dress.
• No.13: Barrack Dress
  • Trousers and shirt from No.2 dress with olive pullover and stable belt. To be replaced by a more practical olive green dress.
• No.14: Barrack Dress (shirt sleeve order)

Foot guards is a term used to describe elite infantry regiments. ... The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth of Nations to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions. ... A Kings Troop sentry outside Horse Guards The Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army. ... The levée was a ceremony commonly held in European high society, constituting a morning assembly or reception given by kings and important nobles. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Light Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for the current light infantry and rifles regiments. ... The Kings Royal Hussars is an armoured regiment of the British Army. ... Service Dress was the name of the new khaki uniforms introduced by the British Army for use in the field, following the experiences of a number of imperial wars and conflicts, including the Second Boer War. ... It has been suggested that Irish kilt be merged into this article or section. ... The Kings Royal Hussars is an armoured regiment of the British Army. ... Basque style Beret Black beret with military emblem A beret (pronounced in English, except in American English in which it is pronounced ) is a soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women. ... Clan MacDonell of Glengarry is a branch of Clan Macdonald, taking its name from Glen Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch Garry to join the Great Glen about 16 miles (25 km) north of Fort William. ... The Queens Royal Hussars (The Queens Own and Royal Irish), (QRH), is the senior United Kingdom light cavalry regiment. ... Service Dress was the name of the new khaki uniforms introduced by the British Army for use in the field, following the experiences of a number of imperial wars and conflicts, including the Second Boer War. ... Battle Dress was the specific title of a military uniform adopted by the British Army in the late 1930s and worn until the 1960s. ... Service Dress was the name of the new khaki uniforms introduced by the British Army for use in the field, following the experiences of a number of imperial wars and conflicts, including the Second Boer War. ... A stable belt is an item of uniform used in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. ... British Soldier 95 woodland pattern DPM, also known as DPM-95 British soldier wearing two-colour desert variant (1991) Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) is a camouflage pattern used by British forces as well many other armies worldwide, particularly in former colonies. ... Soldier wearing a DPM Parachute Smock. ... An NCO of the Bermuda Regiment wears a windproof smock under a floatation device. ... The Army Combat Uniform, or ACU, is a new combat uniform (battledress) to be worn by the United States Army. ... Three Canadian officers in shawl or rolled collar jacket and waistcoat style mess dress or mess kit. ... A stable belt is an item of uniform used in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. ...

See also

• Battledress

• Battle Dress

• Denison Smock

• Canadian Para Smock

• Smock Windproof DPM

• 1968 Pattern Combat Jacket, DPM

• DPM Parachute Smock

• red coat (British army)

• Military uniform

• mess dress

• Modern equipment and uniform of the British Army