Epaulet Colours      British Parachute Battalions

The British Paratroopers of World War II all wore the same basic uniform, this uniform for NW Europe consisted of the camouflage Denison Smock, and the Battledress Blouse. Some units within the airborne forces made use of colored epaulet loops to differentiate the Battalions of the Parachute Regiment. Colored epaulet loops were worn on the Battledress and Denison smock. They do not appear to have been worn on officers Service Dress. For the 9th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment this color was Maroon, much like the maroon color of the Airborne Forces beret. This color has been erroneously recorded in some reference sources as red or purple. Correspondence with 9th Battalion veteran "Freddie" Glover confirms the color as maroon. A recreated photo of a member of the RPS 9th Battalion, wearing the maroon epaulet loop on the Denison smock, is shown to the right. The loops were made of cotton twill and were about 7/16th of an inch wide. They were to be worn at all times by members of the battalion, and according to Pte. Glover this was strictly enforced, especially on the battledress. These epaulet loops were issued by the Quartermasters store, and consisted of a pair of "slip-on" loops for each garment. The epaulet loops were usually worn on the Denison smock as well. The other battalions of the parachute regiment used various methods to differentiate between units. This could be the colored epaulet loop, shoulder lanyard or some other means like the 7th Battalions use of a cloth behind the cap badge. Some of these methods are listed below: 1st Battalion - Green lanyard 2nd Battalion - Yellow lanyard 3rd Battalion - Red lanyard 4th Battalion - Black lanyard 5th Battalion - Hunting Stewart Tartan behind cap badge 6th Battalion - Black collar ribbon 7th Battalion - Green cloth behind cap badge 8th Battalion - Dark Blue epaulet loop 9th Battalion - Maroon epaulet loop 12th Battalion - Light Blue epaulet loop with "Yorkshire" or lanyard 13th Battalion - Black epaulet loop 1st Canadian Bat. - Yellow epaulet loop The Reverend John Gwinett, padre for the 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is shown in the picture to the right. The maroon epaulet loop is clearly seen sewn underneath the officer pips. The Reverend Jenkins, Padre for the 12th Battalion, wearing the light blue "Yorkshire" epaulet loop slipped on over the officer pips. It appears that epaulet loops were used primarily by the 6th Airborne Division. The parachute Battalions of the 1st Airborne used a system of colored lanyards worn only on the Battledress blouse. The lanyards were first used when the airborne forces were formed in 1941. With the formation of the 6th Airborne Division in 1943 the use of epaulet loops was used instead of lanyards. Some reference sources list the above battalions as all having epaulet loops or lanyards, veteran recollections indicate usage of other methods, like the lanyard or cap badge backing. Sources: My Thanks to Private "Freddie" Glover, 1 Platoon, A Coy, 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment for his assistance with this article. "The Paras", Gregor Ferguson & Kevin Lyles, 1996 "The British Soldier, D-Day to VE Day", Jean Bouchery, 1998 "British Army Uniforms of WWII", Brian Davis, 1983