Uniforms, Helmets & Equipment
Purpose
Period-accurate visual reference for writing scenes involving military personnel. Correct uniform details anchor the period and signal care to informed readers. The full uniforms file has comprehensive coverage — this page provides quick reference mnemonics for the most commonly written characters and settings.
Quick Reference — British / Canadian
| Service / Role | Jacket / Tunic | Headgear | Key Distinguishing Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Army (other ranks) | Khaki Service Dress tunic (SD). Four patch pockets. Brass buttons. Drab serge. OR collar patches with regimental number/title. | Brodie helmet (Mk I/II) in the field. SD cap (peaked) in garrison. Forage cap on occasion. | Webbing: 1908 Pattern Web Equipment (load-bearing). Puttees from ankle to knee. Brown leather boots. Bayonet frog on belt. |
| British Army (officers) | Same SD but privately tailored — better cut, better cloth. Sam Browne belt (brown leather, shoulder strap). Rank badges on shoulder straps: star (pip) for lieutenant; two pips for captain; three for major; crown for Lt-Col; crown + pips for colonel. | Peaked SD cap. Brodie helmet in the field. | Officers carry a walking stick or swagger stick in garrison. Revolver (Webley Mk VI) in brown leather holster on Sam Browne. No rifle — a mark of rank. |
| British Royal Navy (ratings) | Square-rig: blue jumper with blue-jean collar (white tapes). Bell-bottom trousers. | Round cap (tiddly cap) with ship's name tally band. Flat cap pushed back is an informal signature. | Lanyard worn on left breast indicating branch. Compass/rating badge on left arm. |
| British Royal Navy (officers) | Reefer jacket (double-breasted). Gold braid rings on sleeve: Sub-Lt = 1 thin ring; Lt = 2 rings; Lt-Cdr = 2 rings + 1 thin; Cdr = 3; Captain = 4; Rear-Admiral = 1 thick + 1 thin. | Peaked cap with gold badge. Eagle-and-anchor on peak for flag officers. | White shirt and black tie. White cap cover in tropical/warm weather service. |
| Royal Air Force (other ranks) | Air Force blue (distinctive grey-blue) SD tunic. Four pockets. Brass eagle buttons. | SD cap in blue with RAF badge. Steel helmet in the field. | The blue uniform immediately distinguishes RAF from Army khaki — significant in mixed garrison or Washington diplomatic scenes. |
| RAF (officers) | Same blue but privately tailored. Rank on sleeve: Pilot Officer = 1 ring; Flying Officer = 1 ring + 1 thin; Flight Lieutenant = 2 rings; Squadron Leader = 3; Wing Commander = 4; Group Captain = 4 rings. | Peaked cap with RAF eagle badge. | Wings badge on left breast once qualified. |
| Tarrant's Surface Cover | Civilian. Bespoke dark suit, Jermyn Street shirt, regimental tie. His Oxford air is unmistakable — the cut says Old World money even when the accent says grammar school. | Trilby hat or Homburg in public. Bareheaded at indoor functions. | The challenge of writing Tarrant: he is not in uniform. His clothes say "banking" or "diplomatic" not "intelligence." The quality is real but the purpose of signalling quality is cover. |
Quick Reference — American
| Service / Role | Uniform | Headgear | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Army (enlisted) | Olive drab (OD) service coat. Khaki for warmer duties. Collar disk insignia (branch and regiment). US on right collar; branch insignia on left. | M1917 "Doughboy" helmet in the field — a direct copy of the British Brodie. Campaign hat (felt, wide brim) in garrison. | The M1917 helmet is identical in silhouette to the British Brodie — both adapted from the same WWI pattern. British and American soldiers at a distance look remarkably similar in the field, underlining the sibling rivalry theme. |
| US Army (officers) | Similar OD tunic but privately tailored. Sam Browne belt worn by officers (matching the British). Rank on shoulder loops: 2nd Lt = 1 gold bar; 1st Lt = 1 silver bar; Captain = 2 silver bars; Major = gold oak leaf; Lt-Col = silver oak leaf; Colonel = silver eagle. | Peaked service cap with branch-coloured cord. Brodie in field. | Pistol in leather holster on Sam Browne. Howe (Colonel/General) in garrison dress would be a commanding presence — the kind of man a room notices. |
| US Marine Corps | Forest green service uniform. Globe, anchor, and eagle badge. High collar (the "choker"). Distinct from Army OD — a Marine immediately visible in any gathering. | Campaign hat in garrison. M1917 helmet in field. "Barracks cover" (peaked cap) for formal occasions. | Howe is a Marine — his uniform marks him as such in every scene. The USMC's reputation (Belleau Wood, "Devil Dogs") is a specific cultural identity distinct from Army. |
| US Navy (officers) | Dark navy reefer jacket (double-breasted). Gold sleeve rings matching Royal Navy pattern roughly. Rank: Ensign = 1 narrow; Lt (jg) = 1 narrow + 1 stripe; Lt = 2 stripes; Lt-Cdr = 2.5 stripes; Cdr = 3; Captain = 4; Rear-Admiral = 1 broad + 1 narrow. | Peaked cap with gold eagle badge. | American and British naval officers in dress uniform at the Washington dinner would look strikingly similar — both dark navy, gold braid, peaked caps. Another visual manifestation of the sibling rivalry theme. |
Scene Notes — The Washington Dinner (Hinge 4)
When writing the dinner where Howe meets Tarrant, the visual contrast and similarity should be present:
- Howe in Marine dress uniform — forest green with gold braid, Eagle-Globe-Anchor at the collar, medal ribbons. Commanding. His career and beliefs are inscribed in his clothes.
- Tarrant in civilian evening dress — white tie or black tie depending on formality. His surface cover requires he look like money, not a soldier. The clothes are a performance, and a flawless one.
- The British diplomatic attachés may be in naval or army uniform or in civilian dress depending on the occasion — their uniforms signal allegiance in a room full of nominal enemies
- The American Tory bloc figure at the dinner: black tie, Savile Row cut (he summers in England), a slight over-cultivation in the clothes that marks the class position precisely — American money performing its transatlantic connections
Comprehensive period-accurate reference for British interwar military uniforms, insignia, and equipment: British Uniforms file ↗