Officers' Button 1778


The officers had gilt buttons which were flat. This design was used by several regiments. These buttons were worn by the 55th in the West Indies from 1779 until 1782 when the regiment were taken prisoner by the French. Officers had worn numbered buttons since 1769. I can find no explanation for the use of the wreath in the design but suspect that it was conferred on the regiment for their part in the Battle of Ticonderoga in Canada in 1758.


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