Officer, Service Dress 1915

This lieutenant is dressed for service in France with a two strap Sam Browne belt in order to support his sword and pistol, and a whistle attached on one side. He also has his compass and binoculars in leather cases. There are webbing straps on his shoulder to carry his knapsack but he also has a haversack attached to his waistbelt. There is a webbing strap over his left shoulder for the water-bottle. A rolled raincoat would also be strapped to the back of the belt. The cap is all khaki including the peak, with a brown leather chinstrap and gold embroidered grenade badge. He has two garter star rank badges on each shoulder strap, a distinction of the Guards, as line infantry officers showed their rank stars on their cuffs. The rank of 2nd Lieutenant was indicated with one star, in compliance with an order of May 1902. This and other similar illustrations are by Mike Chappell from his excellent book The Guards Divisions 1914-45 (Osprey).

Regimental details | Uniforms