Shoulder mark

Last updated
British military shoulder mark in form of a rank slide on a pullover with a sergeant of the Royal Air Force insignia. Epaulette mp3h7527.jpg
British military shoulder mark in form of a rank slide on a pullover with a sergeant of the Royal Air Force insignia.
Not to be confused with rank slides or slip-ons: Epauletten and Achselstucke (braided shoulder knots and plain shoulder boards) of the German Empire 1871-1918 Epauletten Achselstucken Offiziere 1918.jpg
Not to be confused with rank slides or slip-ons: Epauletten and Achselstücke (braided shoulder knots and plain shoulder boards) of the German Empire 1871-1918

A shoulder mark, also called a rank slide or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. [1] It may bear rank or other insignia. A shoulder mark should not be confused with a shoulder board (an elaborate shoulder strap), a shoulder knot (a braided type of shoulder board), or an epaulette, although these terms are often used interchangeably.

Contents

Australia

The newer Auscam uniform design lacks shoulder marks, instead opting for a vertical strap in the middle of the chest region of the uniform. Rank insignia tags are slipped onto this strap. Unlike the older uniform designs, there are slip-ons for every rank in the Australian Defence Force.[ citation needed ]

The older Auscam uniform designs featured shoulder straps, upon which slip-on rank insignia of Commissioned Officers could be affixed, and non-commissioned officers in the Air Force and Navy only. No shoulder-strap slip-ons are available for enlisted members of the army, whereas the other two services had appropriate slip ons, who have rank patches sewed onto the uniform arms. This older design is no longer issued, but may still be seen on personnel whose most recent uniform issue pre-dates the use of the new design.[ citation needed ]

Canada

Three operational dress uniforms of the Canadian Forces, showing the two styles of slip-on worn by the Royal Canadian Navy. The red fabric between the two rows of braid indicates a medical officer; the navies of some other Commonwealth realms also use red stripes to denote a medical officer. Canadian Armed Forces operational uniforms.jpg
Three operational dress uniforms of the Canadian Forces, showing the two styles of slip-on worn by the Royal Canadian Navy. The red fabric between the two rows of braid indicates a medical officer; the navies of some other Commonwealth realms also use red stripes to denote a medical officer.

In the Canadian Forces, slip-ons displaying rank insignia and shoulder titles are worn on the shoulder straps of the No. 3 Service Dress shirt, overcoat, raincoat, and sweater; CANEX parka and windbreaker; Naval Combat Dress jacket and shirt; flying suits and flying jackets; and Military Police Operational Patrol Dress shirt and jacket. The slip-ons are worn on a similar-style strap located in the centre of the chest (and sometimes centre of the back as well) of the CADPAT shirt, jacket, parka, and raincoat. Slip-ons are not worn on the Service Dress jacket, or with Mess Dress.

Canadian Forces slip-ons [2]
UniformBase fabricOfficers' rank insigniaNon-commissioned members' rank insigniaShoulder titles
Navy Service Dress and Naval Combat Dress Navy Blue (which is a tone of black) [3] Rows of gold rank braidEmbroidered in "CF Gold" thread"CANADA", embroidered in "CF Gold" thread
Army Service Dress Rifle green Embroidered in full colour, including branch-specific backing colourNone (rank insignia are worn on enameled pins on lapels or collar points)Regimental or branch title, or the word "CANADA", in "CF gold" cotton thread
Air Force Service Dress Air Force blue Rows of "pearl grey" (silver) and black rank braidEmbroidered in "pearl grey" (silver) thread"CANADA", embroidered in "pearl grey" (silver) thread
Navy CADPAT TW (Temperate Woodland)Olive greenEmbroidered in black threadEmbroidered in black thread"CANADA", embroidered in black thread
Army CADPAT TWCADPAT TWEmbroidered in "high visibility" silver threadEmbroidered in "high visibility" silver thread"CANADA" or an applicable branch, regimental, or air unit title embroidered in "high visibility" silver thread
Air Force CADPAT TW and flying suitOlive greenEmbroidered in blue threadEmbroidered in blue thread"CANADA" or an applicable branch, regimental, or air unit title embroidered in blue thread
Navy, Army, and Air Force CADPAT AR (Arid Region)CADPAT AREmbroidered in tan threadEmbroidered in tan thread"CANADA" or an applicable branch, regimental, or air unit title embroidered in tan thread
Former uniforms
Olive green combat uniform (replaced by CADPAT in the early 2000s)Olive greenEmbroidered in light olive green threadEmbroidered in light olive green thread [lower-alpha 1] "CANADA" or an applicable branch, regimental, or air unit title embroidered in light olive green thread
Air Force Service Dress prior to 2015Air Force blueRows of gold rank braidEmbroidered in "Old Gold" thread (darker in colour than "CF Gold")"CANADA", embroidered in "CF Gold" thread

United States

Firm shoulder board, with two small white loops on the shirt for fixing Midshipman Second Class shoulder mark.jpg
Firm shoulder board, with two small white loops on the shirt for fixing
Blue Service Uniform with shoulder strap rank resp. shoulder board insignia (attentes
), as worn by General George W. Casey, Jr. George W. Casey 2007.jpg
Blue Service Uniform with shoulder strap rank resp. shoulder board insignia (attentes ), as worn by General George W. Casey, Jr.

Military

Based on the shoulder boards used by the United States Navy, the United States Army and Air Force developed the shoulder mark, a cloth tube with embroidered or pinned rank insignia. Army officer shoulder marks are colored depending on the branch with which the officer is affiliated. They have an 18-inch (3.2 mm) gold stripe below the embroidered grade insignia (the end far from the collar). In the Air Force, a similar stripe is limited to senior officers (majors and above). Air Force general officers have an additional stripe at the near end. Enlisted and Air Force junior officer shoulder marks lack these distinctions. These are worn on all class B uniform shirts. US Navy officers wear shoulder boards on Summer White and Service Dress White uniforms, and wool overcoats and reefers. "Soft shoulder boards" (shoulder marks) are worn on long sleeve white shirts and on black sweaters worn with Service Khaki or Service Dress Blue uniforms. Coast Guard officers wear Naval style shoulderboards on all class B uniform shirts. Service dress uniforms in the U.S. air and land forces also have a different style of shoulder board, a firm material with an underlying longitudinal strap. The corresponding jacket shoulder has two small loops traversing from rear to front, and the open end of the shoulder board's strap is drawn through the two loops and affixed to the underside of the board. This effectively hides all the means of attachments, leaving a firm, finished surface. This particular style is what U.S. Air Force personnel call a shoulder board. The shoulder sleeve is called an epaulette, and the two are never confused.

On the United States Army Blue Service Uniform, officers wear embroidered rank insignia "shoulder straps" (attentes [ citation needed ]) mounted lengthwise on the outside shoulder seams. These are 1+58 inches (41 mm) wide by 4 inches (100 mm)/3+12 inches (89 mm) (large size/small size) long, and are sewn, snapped, or clipped onto each shoulder. [4]

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America uses colored shoulder loops worn on the shoulder straps to indicate the program level. Webelos Scouts wearing tan uniforms and all Cub Scout leaders wear blue loops, Boy Scouts and leaders wear forest green loops (changed from red in 2008), [5] Varsity Scouts and leaders wear blaze (orange) loops, and Venturers and leaders wear emerald green loops. [6] Adults who hold a district or council position wear silver loops; those with section, area, regional, or national positions wear gold loops, and those with international positions wear purple loops. The only youth permitted to wear gold loops are the National Chief, National Vice chief, and Region Chiefs of the Order of the Arrow.

United Kingdom

British Lord-lieutenant with braided shoulder boards resp. shoulder knots Lord Crathorne in Lord Lieutenant's Uniform.jpg
British Lord-lieutenant with braided shoulder boards resp. shoulder knots

Military

Rank slides are used by all of the UK Armed Forces, primarily on working dress uniforms. Similar rank slides are also worn on a single tab/strap on the chest of operational (Multi-Terrain Pattern) clothing.

Royal Navy

Shoulder boards are worn by officers on tropical dress uniform, bearing the same insignia carried on the cuffs of the dress uniform. A slide worn on the chest indicates rank for all RN personnel in Action Working Dress (No.4 dress). [7]

Army

In the British Army, shoulder straps are worn with dress and service uniforms. In combat dress, however, rank insignia is displayed on 'rank slides' worn on the chest.

Royal Air Force

In the Royal Air Force, rank slides are worn by all ranks (except Aircraftman, which has no insignia) on the shoulders of working dress uniforms, and also on flying clothing and overalls.

St. John Ambulance

As a ranked organisation, members of St. John Ambulance wear rank slides on all uniforms. Colours are used to differentiate between different health care professionals (e.g., green for paramedics, red for doctors).

Police

The uniforms of most police forces in the United Kingdom feature rank slides. At ranks below Inspector, the collar number is also displayed on the shoulder, although some Inspectors and above are starting to display their collar number alongside their rank insignia. The most notable exception to this is Kent Police, whose officers display their collar number on the stab vest instead of the rank slides.

Public order officers' shoulder slides are often colour-coded according to their role:

HM Prison Service

The uniform of public sector prison officers and OSG's[ clarification needed ] in England & Wales feature shoulder slides on their uniform indicating rank, unique identification number and specialist role.

Specialist role identifiers include:

Lords-lieutenant

The uniform of lord-lieutenant as the head of a lieutenancy area shows many military features. Their ranks, and those of their deputies (vice lord-lieutenant, deputy lieutenant) are indicated by braided shoulder boards resp. shoulder knots.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epaulette</span> Decorative shoulder covering for military uniforms

Epaulette is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes are referred to as shoulder scales.

This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Armed Forces. As the Canadian Armed Forces is officially bilingual, the French language ranks are presented following the English.

The United States Air Force officer rank insignia in use today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mess dress uniform</span> Formal evening dress worn by military personnel

Mess dress uniform is the most formal type of evening-wear uniform used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white dress shirt and a black bow tie, along with orders and medals insignia. Design may depend on regiment or service branch, e.g. army, navy, air force, marines, etc. In modern Western dress codes, mess dress uniform is the supplementary alternative equivalent to the civilian black tie for evening wear. Mess dress uniforms are typically less formal than full dress uniform, but more formal than service dress uniform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the United States Navy</span> Clothes worn by members of the United States Navy

The uniforms of the United States Navy include dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, and uniforms for special situations, which have varied throughout the history of the navy. For simplicity in this article, officers refers to both commissioned officers and warrant officers.

The uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces are the official dress worn by members of Canada's military while on duty.

Lieutenant-general is a Canadian Forces rank used by commissioned officers of the Canadian Army or Royal Canadian Air Force. Vice-admiral is the equivalent rank in the Royal Canadian Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Service Uniform</span> Military uniform worn by United States Army personnel

The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform for wear by United States Army personnel in garrison posts and at most public functions where the Army Combat Uniform is inappropriate. As of 2021, the Army has two service uniforms for use by its personnel. The Army Green Service Uniform, announced in 2018 and authorized in 2020, is used primarily for daily use in situations where civilians wear business attire, such as office settings or official meetings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps</span> US military uniform

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) prescribes several types of military uniform to distinguish its service members from other armed services, depending on the situation.

Star Trek uniforms are costumes worn by actors portraying personnel of a fictitious Starfleet in various television series and films in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. During the various series, the costume design has often changed to represent different time periods and for reasons of appearance and comfort. Sometimes different styles were deliberately mixed to enhance the sense of time travel or alternative universes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the Royal Air Force</span> Standardised military dress

The Royal Air Force uniform is the standardised military dress worn by members of the Royal Air Force. The predominant colours of Royal Air Force uniforms are blue-grey and Wedgwood blue. Many Commonwealth air forces' uniforms are also based on the RAF pattern, but with nationality shoulder flashes. The Royal Air Force Air Cadets wear similar uniforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the United States Air Force</span> Standardized military uniforms worn by airmen of the United States Air Force

The uniforms of the United States Air Force are the standardized military uniforms worn by members of the United States Air Force to distinguish themselves from the other services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the Royal Navy</span> Clothes worn by the Royal Navy

The uniforms of the Royal Navy have evolved gradually since the first uniform regulations for officers were issued in 1748. The predominant colours of Royal Navy uniforms are navy blue and white. Since reforms in 1997 male and female ratings have worn the same ceremonial uniform.

Brigadier General (BGen) (Swedish: Brigadgeneral, Bgen) is a one-star commissioned officer rank in the Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force and Swedish Amphibious Corps. A Brigadier general ranks immediately above a colonel and below a major general. The rank is equivalent to rear admiral (lower half) in the Swedish Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General (Canada)</span>

General is a military rank used by the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force typically held by the officer who is serving as the chief of the Defence Staff – the senior uniformed officer of the Canadian Forces – if they belong to those elements. Admiral is the equivalent rank in the Royal Canadian Navy.

In the Royal Canadian Navy, the rank of lieutenant-commander (LCdr) is the naval rank equal to major in the army or air force and is the first rank of senior officer. Lieutenant-commanders are senior to lieutenants (N) and to army and air force captains, and are junior to commanders and lieutenant colonels.

The uniforms of the Royal Canadian Navy are a variety of different official dress worn by members of the Royal Canadian Navy while on duty. Originally, the uniforms of the RCN were modelled after their counterparts from the United Kingdom. However, after the RCN was merged with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1968 to form the single-service Canadian Armed Forces, the RCN began to wear "Canadian Armed Forces green" uniforms, worn throughout the Canadian Armed Forces

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945)</span> Military insignia

The Heer as the German army and part of the Wehrmacht inherited its uniforms and rank structure from the Reichsheer of the Weimar Republic (1921–1935). There were few alterations and adjustments made as the army grew from a limited peacetime defense force of 100,000 men to a war-fighting force of several million men.

The rank insignia of the federal armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany indicate rank and branch of service in the German Army, German Air Force, or the German Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms and insignia of the Kriegsmarine</span> Uniforms and insignia of the German navy during World War II

The Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II. Kriegsmarine uniform design followed that of the preexisting Reichsmarine, itself based on that of the First World War Kaiserliche Marine. Kriegsmarine styles of uniform and insignia had many features in common with those of other European navies, all derived from the British Royal Navy of the 19th century, such as officers' frock coats, sleeve braid, and the "sailor suit" uniform for enlisted personnel and petty officers.

References

  1. "Uniform Dress Guidelines". Canadian Coast Guard. ver 26 06/27/08, p. 7
  2. Directorate of History and Heritage (12 July 2016). A-DH-265-000/AG-001 CANADIAN ARMED FORCES DRESS INSTRUCTIONS. pp. 3A-1 to 3A-8.
  3. "Canadian Forces Dress Instructions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009.
  4. "Chapter 28: Wear of Insignia and Accouterments". Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia (Army Regulation 670-1) (PDF). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army. 2012 [2005].
  5. "Boy Scout Essentials" (PDF). Scoutstuff. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2012.
  6. "Venturing Scout Essentials" (PDF). Scoutstuff. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2012.
  7. "Royal Navy unveils 'modern' uniform". BBC News. 19 March 2015.
  8. "Public order procedure". North Yorkshire Police. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2012.

Notes

  1. More often, the non-commissioned member's rank was issued in the form of a patch that was either stitched onto the epaulet (preferred Air Force and Navy practice) or directly onto the upper shirt or jacket sleeve with the slip-on left blank (preferred Army practice).