Uniforms of the British Army

The uniforms of the British Army currently exist in sixteen categories ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress.

Prior to the English Civil War of 1642–51 the only significant instances of uniform dress in British military culture occurred in small bodyguard units, notably the Yeoman of the Guard. During the Civil War the Parliamentary New Model Army adopted a fairly standardised pattern of red clothing, a practice which continued with the small regular English Army of the Restoration period.

By the end of the 17th century, the English army uniform's colour (England not yet having joined with Scotland to form the United Kingdom), was largely settled on red with few exceptions. The practice of distinguishing regiments by different facings was in general use by the early 18th century. In the decades after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, British Army uniforms trended towards extravagance rather than practicality. That trend was reversed during Crimean war with the adoption of looser fitting tunics and more practical headdresses. Red coats were however retained, except in India where drab coloured garments were introduced in 1848 and worn increasingly from 1857 on.

In January 1902 the British army adopted a universal khaki uniform for home service wear, the Service Dress, after experience with lighter khaki drill in India and South Africa. The traditional scarlet, blue and green uniforms were however retained for full dress and off duty "walking out dress" wear. Details of these colourful uniforms varied greatly between regiments and branches of the army. The early use of camouflage in the form of plain khaki reflected the exigencies of colonial war and the freedom allowed, and taken, by many of the officers who fought it. The adoption of khaki for active service resulted from the development of weapons of greater accuracy range combined with smokeless powder during the late 19th century, making low-visibility on the battlefield a matter of priority.

In 1938, the British Army adopted a revolutionary and practical type of uniform for combat known as Battledress; it was widely copied and adapted by armies around the world. During the Second World War a handful of British units adopted camouflage patterned clothes, for example the Airborne Forces' Denison smock and the windproof suit. In the late 1960s the Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) camouflage uniform was adopted across the whole of the British Army. It remained in service, with periodical updates, for the next 40 years. From 2009 it began to be replaced by a new Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) uniform. This "Personal Clothing System (Combat Uniform)" has been developed for use across the British Armed Services, making use of the latest in clothing technology. Unlike the different versions of DPM issued for use in different terrains, the new MTP kit is issued in just one version, designed to function effectively across a variety of terrains, meeting a need identified in recent combat experience.

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