Service Dress (British Army)

Service Dress was the new style of khaki uniform introduced by the British Army for use in the field from the early 1900s, following the experiences of a number of imperial wars and conflicts, including the Second Boer War. This variant of uniform continues to be worn today, although only in a formal role, as No. 2 Pattern dress.

Khaki

In many of those conflicts, the bright red tunics worn by British infantry regiments had proved to be a liability, especially when faced by new rifles, firing smokeless cartridges (this had been exacerbated by the white carrying equipment worn by the line infantry, the cross straps of which made an X on the soldier's chest). The term Khaki (Urdu for dust) had come from India, where it was first worn by the Corps of Guides in 1846. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857 many British regiments took to staining their white tropical uniforms with tea leaves or other makeshift dyes in order to camouflage them. Rifle regiments had long used dark green uniforms (with blackened badges, buttons, and carrying equipment) as camouflage, and some units of the Volunteer Force's London Regiment had adopted Hodden grey uniforms for the same purpose. Numerous khaki uniforms were adopted by units in the field over the turn of the century, but the standardised Service Dress uniform was not adopted until after the Second Boer War.

Service Dress

Other Ranks

For Other Ranks (Enlisted Men), the SD uniform originally comprised khaki wool (serge) trousers, a...
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