NCO's Arm Badge

The 10th was probably the first regiment to wear a regimental arm badge. Evidence for this can be found in Denis Dighton’s painting of the 10th Hussars in the Peninsula in 1813. The badges were embroidered, but in 1867 both the 12th Lancers and the 10th Hussars were authorised to wear hallmarked silver PoW badges above sergeants’ or warrant officers’ stripes. Up until the 1880s only NCOs above the rank of sergeant could wear the badge, but at some date in the 1880s corporals and lance corporals were authorised to wear the badge over their stripes. A watercolour by T P Chapman dated 1894 shows the RSM in a patrol jacket wearing a large silver badge on his forearm. Next to him is a corporal with a smaller badge on scarlet backing, above his stripes. The example shown here has a brass backing plate with a pin to hold it in place on the sleeve. The dark blue backing cloth raises questions as the badge worn in dress uniform had a scarlet backing.

Regimental Details | Badges