(a) Full Dress.—Within each arm of the service the regiments or corps composing it possess special distinctions. For details reference should be made to the British Army Dress and Clothing Regulations.
(i.) Cavalry.—There are two main divisions of Cavalry, viz., "Household Cavalry" and "Cavalry of the Line." The Household Cavalry consists of the The Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards. The distinctive features of these regiments are their steel cui rasses, white leather breeches and high jack boots reaching above the knee. They both wear single-breasted tunics, that of the Life Guards being scarlet and that of the Royal Horse Guards blue, and metal helmets with horsehair plumes. Both regiments mount guard at "The Horse Guards" Whitehall, where their brilliant uniforms have attracted the attention of many generations of London sightseers.
The Cavalry of the Line consists of Dragoon Guards, Dragoons, Hussars and Lancers. All wear blue pantaloons (with broad dis tinctive stripes on the outside) and jack boots. Dragoon Guards and Dragoons wear a single breasted tunic and metal helmet with horsehair plume (except The Royal Scots Greys [2nd Dragoons] who wear a bearskin cap). Lancers wear a double breasted tunic (the front or "plastron" reaching from the shoulders to the waist line) and lancer caps (the Polish Czapka) with drooping plumes. Hussars wear a single breasted ribbed jacket and fur busby.
(ii.) Infantry.—Foot Guards all wear tall bearskin caps, red single-breasted tunics with blue facings, blue trousers with a red stripe. The regimental distinctions consist in the spacing of the buttons on the tunic, colour of the plume of bearskin, colour of cap-band and badges and titles on the tunic. Infantry of the Line wear a cloth helmet (dark blue, black or green) which is to be replaced by a shako scarlet tunic, blue cloth trousers with a red stripe, with the following exceptions; Rifle Regiment astrakhan cap, dark green tunics and trousers; Fusiliers wear a bearskin with hackle plume instead of a helmet. Scottish Regiments, both Highland and Lowland, wear a "doublet" with gauntlet cuffs, Highland regiments wear a tartan kilt and plaid and sporran, diced hose-tops and white spats. Lowland regiments wear tartan "trews." Highland regiments wear a "feather bonnet," Lowland the Kilmarnock bonnet. The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) wear
a shako.
(iii.) Royal Artillery.—All wear blue riding-breeches (with broad red stripes) and jack boots, cloth helmet and blue single breasted tunic, except Royal Horse Artillery who wear a cylindri cal fur busby and short ribbed jacket. The cylindrical fur busby, however, is to become universal throughout all branches of the Royal Artillery.
(iv.) Royal Engineers.—Scarlet tunic, blue trousers and cloth helmet (to be replaced by cylindrical fur busby).
The use of gas and the enormous increase in the use of shrapnel have led to an addition to the field uniform of the British soldier —viz., the gas respirator and the steel helmet. With a view to accustoming the men to their weight and employment, they are now worn during all field exercises.
As with the British service, the full dress uniforms worn before the World War have not yet been authorised. However, full dress was practically of one universal pattern and had few of the dis tinctions which is a characteristic of the British full dress. The olive drab service dress is now the prescribed uniform for ordinary wear. In the tropics or in hot weather white uniforms may be worn by officers and warrant officers when not on duty with troops under arms. When off duty and away from their station the wear ing of civilian dress by officers is optional except in the Philippine, Hawaiian and Panama Canal Departments and in Porto Rico. For wear in Alaska, special clothing is provided : heavy all wool under wear, double cloth-lined pea jackets, duck and fur parkas, buffalo overcoats, water and winter mucklucks, shoe pacs, goose-down filled bed comforts, fur caps and gauntlets.