 Did You Know?
Did You Know? Officers Badges of Rank. Going back to the late 18th century, the different styles of epaulettes worn by officers were in themselves badges of rank. However, by 1803 subalterns were wearing a single gold bullion epaulette on their right shoulders.
It was decided to change what was then the lieutenant's epaulette bullion tassels to a coarse gold fringe, in order to differentiate between a lieutenant and a captain. During the period 1822-1855, all general officers wore the same badge of rank, that of a crossed sword and baton but the means of telling the different levels of generals apart lay in their coat buttons.
A major general wore two rows of buttons with ten buttons in each row grouped in pairs. Both a lieutenant general and a general wore two rows of nine buttons, with the former having his buttons in groups of three and the latter, evenly spaced. In 1855 a major general wore a star, a lieutenant general a crown and a general wore both a crown and a star. A major's badge of rank was a single star.
The officers star (commonly referred to as a 'pip') is the Star of the Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, which bears the motto TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO (THREE JOINED INTO ONE) 1 , meaning the union of England, Scotland and Ireland. Prior to 1830 the badge of rank was the Star of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
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