# Sashes for officers



## Loyal Eddie (16 Jun 2004)

Why do officers wear sashes on the stomack than on shoulder.


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## pbi (13 Aug 2004)

The maroon sash you are referring to is the sword sash that some line and light regiments wear with No. 1 Dress on parades. As far as I know, it is descended from the similar item that officers wore during the period of the English Civil War. At that time,while dismounted Infantry officers wore swords, they also carried a short pike or halberd-type weapon sometimes referred to as a spontoon. I believe that the purpose of the sash was originally to tie around the waist with a large knot on one side, that could support the staff of the spontoon. As the spontoon gradually passed out of British service (between the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, I think...) the sash survived, worn over the sword belt for convenience. Anybody got any other versions of this? Cheers.


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## George Wallace (13 Aug 2004)

That sounds pretty good.

The Sash may have been kept after that to tidy up an 'unsightly' Sword Belt and maintain a uniform appearance for officers of a Regiment.

GW


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## Danjanou (14 Aug 2004)

Amazing what you can find while killing time on the web (waiting for laundry). I did a Google search on Infantry Sashes and you'd be surprised at the number of hits/sites that come up. Interestingly enough several are threads from this site.

Anyway here's a couple of excerpts on the sash questions I found interesting:

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-uniforms/brits-in-oz.htm

The Australian Army Infantry Corps adopted the scarlet sash worn by Warrant Officers Class 2 and senior NCOs from the British Army, which has been wearing it since the 17th century. Some were worn around the waist, whilst others were worn over the shoulder. The sashes were used as badges of rank. However, it is said that they also had a practical purpose, originally being used to drag the wounded from the battlefield. Legend also has it that because they became blood stained it was decided that they would be coloured scarlet so as to 'hide' the blood stains. 

The British Regiments of Foot had officers wearing silken sashes over the left shoulder and senior NCOs wore worsted sashes over the right shoulder.   

Today in the Australian Army general officers and officers holding certain appointments wear sashes around their waist when dressed in Ceremonial Dress.   

Infantry Warrant Officers Class 2, senior NCOs and senior cadets at the Royal Military College Duntroon, wear the scarlet sash when on parade, in mess dress and when carrying out Regimental duties. 
There are many tall stories told in messes about the scarlet sash and its cords (or tassels). Stories of the cords range from their representing British Army campaigns or Army line regiments to their use for counting casualties on the battle field. None of these are true and are often used to leg-pull the newly promoted sergeant.

http://www.militaryheritage.com/sash1.htm

The first mention of infantry sergeant's sash with a single stripe of facing colour in the British Army came in the clothing regulations of 1727.   Regulations were vague on whether it was to be worn over the shoulder or around the waist.      This was clarified in 1747 when orders were issued calling for sergeants to always wear their sashes around their waists.   With the exception of highland regiments, from this point until 1826, the serjeant's sash changed very little.

However there were deviations from regulations from time to time.   For example in the 1790s some regular regiments issue solid crimson sashes to their men (made of cheaper floss silk) .   This distinction was reserved for the Guards and Ordnance Corps and military officials in 1799 found it necessary to restate the regulations to the regiments.   In the order it was specifically stated that red faced regiments will wear a sash with a white stripe.   This singling out gives the impression the red faced regiments were the principal ones bending the rules.   Even with that, recruiting sergeants are often depicted with the more showy solid crimson sash, along with ribbons in the shako, to give them a dressy edge to dazzle perspective recruits into serving king and country.

In 1802 they did make an attempt was made to regulate the length.   However none of the originals that have survived are of this regulation, nor does pictorial evidence bear this out.   In fact it appears these pattern was sleeved until the next regulation change came along 24 years later.
The single stripe serjeant's sash was replaced in 1826 with a three strip sash with cords made in the same fashion as light infantry officer sashes.   Nineteen years later this pattern gave way to an all-crimson wool girdle sash with hook and eyes and no knot, tassels or fringe.   Facing colours in the sergeant's sash disappeared.

Hiistorically this sash was made by a technique called spranging.   The result was much like a netting that could widen and contract.   To do this many metres of woolen cord were placed on a special spranging machine. Often these machines were made two stories high running through the floor to the lower level.   
The idea of having this net construction was that if an officer was wounded on the field his sash could be used as a stretcher.   The original purpose of the officer sash's contruction started to lose its meaning when the sash went from the should to the waist in 1768.   The length was gradually reduced for convenient wearing.   

Since the sash of the sergeants was to be worn around the waist, its length was greatly reduced from the outset.   It is obvious from the various lengths of surviving sashes, they were intended to go around the waist once. However they were spranged like the officer sashes.     There were a number of variations: some had fixed knots while others finished with fringe frayed or knotted of.

Unfortunately today spranging is a dying technique and most if not all the old industrial spranging machines have disappeared.   Even if the technique could be economically reproduced, the materials alone, namely the unique cording material, in each sash would cost hundreds of dollars. We attempted spranging the sash from just strands of yarn but appearance deviated measurably from its original appearance.

Therefore we have produced with success a hand-woven wool sash to mimic the contracted state of spranging.   It's length of 72 inches   is designed to pass around the body or over the shoulder for highland regiments, and the width measurements are from an original sash, as it would have been when tied around the waist.   We chose the frayed fringe (ends of sash called tags). The quality of the hand weaving is simply excellent and a great deal of thought and care has gone into this replica.   According to regulations Infantry sergeants were to tie the knot of their sashes on the left, but during the Napoleonic period there were numerous deviations to this rule.   Cavalry sergeants wore them on the right, but this was not universal.   The knot was worn slightly to the front above the knee so it did not impede the carrying of the halberd or pike.     - Robert Henderson

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyuniforms/britishinfantry/lancaster1900.htm

On the right is the adjutant in full dress mounted order. His sleeve decoration tells us that he is a lieutenant because before 1902 rank was denoted by an increase in lace and braid. His sword and sabretashe are slung from his white waistbelt. Officers' crimson sashes were worn on the right shoulder with fringes hanging on the left hip. It was the other way round for sergeants and WO2s. After c1902 officers wore the sash round the waist but sergeants continued to wear theirs on the left shoulder and still do today.

http://www.dnd.ca/site/Community/MapleLeaf/html_files/html_view_e.asp?page=Vol4_16____Back_page14-16

The crimson sash of infantry senior non-commissioned members is one of the most distinctive accoutrements worn in the CF. Draped with pride over the right shoulder, the sash illustrates both the wearer's rank and military trade. (In keeping with their tradition of wearing dark accoutrements, senior NCMs of rifle regiments do not wear sashes.) Infantry sergeants wear sashes made from crimson worsted, while the sashes of infantry warrant officers, master warrant officers and chief warrant officers are manufactured from silk.

Sashes were first worn during the 17th century by both officers and senior NCMs of the British army to indicate rank and to carry casualties off the battlefield. To that end, sashes were manufactured of silk for strength. They were also voluminous enough to enclose the human body. In some regiments, even the privates wore sashes.

During this era, soldiers wore their sashes as they pleased, either around the waist or over the shoulder. Some officers preferred sashes made of gold or silver net work, while some preferred plain crimson silk. Eventually, only general officers were permitted sashes made with gold and silver.

By 1747 a British army clothing regulation directed that infantry officers would wear their sashes over the right shoulder and cavalry officers would wear them over the left. The senior NCMs of both arms would wear the sash around the waist.

Infantry senior NCM sashes also featured a thin stripe running down its centre in the regiment's facing colour, which was also seen on the collars and cuffs of the unit's tunic. This facing colour on sashes disappeared by the middle of the 19th century.

By the beginning of the 20th century, officers wore their sashes around their waists with the bow hanging down on the left, which is still done.

Today, infantry senior NCMs wear their sashes mainly for regimental duties such as parades and duty NCM, according to CWO D. R. Bradley of Ottawa's Ceremonial Guard

And finally this interestin bit of trivia ( too many graphics to cut and paste it here):

http://www.army.mod.uk/lightinfantry/customs_traditions/dress/sash/


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## Steel Badger (18 Dec 2004)

Hey all

To amplify the above (cheers for clarifying the sash wi stripe for me..)

Sashes were worn by armies of the late middle ages as battlefield identifiers (For captains, ensigns and sergeants) usually around the waist (the narrowest part of their cuirass....breast and back plate)

That is the function they still serve.


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