Middlesex Duke of Cambridge’s Hussars, Yeomanry Cavalry

Sergeants and WOs 1940

Battledress was introduced into the British Army in 1937 and was subject to minor changes throughout WW2 and after. These Warrant Officers and sergeants of the Middlesex Yeomanry pose in a group, wearing the first pattern battledress. However, two WOs are seated in the middle wearing service dress which is a khaki tunic with stand and fall collar. The WO1 with a stick is the RSM, having embroidered khaki Royal Arms badges on his forearms. His uniform is almost officer quality except that he does not have an open collar with shirt and tie. His cap and collar badges are bronze, the same style as the officers. While other ranks wore cap or collar badges with a plain 8-pointed star, the officers had star badges with a crown above. His leather waist-belt is without the shoulder strap as worn by officers. The WO2 next to him wears a poorer quality service dress that has pocket flaps of a different shape. His rank badges are metal, a crown surrounded by a wreath. His collar and cap badges are the same as the other ranks, although there were no collar badges on battledress. He is probably the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS).
Battledress was a very unflattering uniform, especially at this stage. The unlined collar fastens at the neck, and the buttoned up blouse has a fly front to cover the metal buttons. The breast pockets have hidden buttons. The trousers have a button tab at the bottom to fasten them around the ankle so that gaiters can be worn. Rank badges are on both sleeves with regimental pattern crowns above the stripes. The man seated on the left has a Warrant Officer’s crown with wreath but he must be of lower status to the QM, probably the Orderly Room Quartermaster Sergeant. The crown badges on the lower sleeve of the other warrant Officers indicate the rank of Squadron Sergeant Major (WO2). The rank indicated by four stripes (seated second from the right) was only to be found in Territorial units and tells us that he was on the permanent staff.
The headdress is of two types; peaked forage caps, and Field Service caps, both khaki. The latter type, which is worn by most of the men standing in the back row, was developed in the 1880s and taken into general use in 1894, although at that stage it was generally dark blue or coloured. The khaki FSC became associated with WW2 and was worn by privates and junior NCOs. Senior NCOs and Warrant Officers wore the forage cap. However, in this photo, just to confuse the issue, one of the seated WOs wears the FSC, while the sergeant standing on the right has a forage cap.
The sergeant seated on the extreme right has an array of medal ribbons. He is Eric Phillips whose grand-daughter Pat Phillips kindly provided the photo. She informs me that this photo has ‘June 1940’ written on the back.

Regimental Details | Uniforms