The British soldiers who marched off to fight in World War I in 1914 wore only regimental insignia, yet by the time of the armistice in November 1918, insignia in the British Army had undergone a considerable change. Now visible was a bewildering display of coloured devices on uniforms, helmets, vehicles, guns, signboards and flags. Regimental badges remained but were joined by divisional insignia. These were rarely seen in the front line. Instead the 'battle patch' had appeared for combat use. In this beautifully illustrated book Mike Chappell looks at the colourful variety of insignia used by the British Army during the Great War.

By the New Year of 1940 the War Office had agreed in principle to (a) the enhancement of officers' badges of rank with cloth in the colour of the arm-of-service; (b) strips of cloth in the same colours to be worn at the top of the sleeves by all ranks; and (c) the wearing of regimental flashes on Battledress. And so the rules for the wearing of battle insignia throughout the British Army were established. How far they were obeyed and how often they were ignored will become obvious to anyone reading Mike Chappell's splendid companion work to Men-At-Arms 182.