Gorget patches (collar tabs,collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on thecollar of auniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign themilitary rank (group of ranks), the rank ofcivil service, themilitary unit, the office (department) or thebranch of the armed forces and the arm of service.
Gorget patches were originallygorgets, pieces of armour worn to protect the throat. When armour fell out of use, decorative cloth gorgets used the same name. The cloth patch on the collar however evolved from contrasting cloth used to reinforce the buttonholes at the collar of a uniform coat. (This is perhaps most evident in the traditionalCommonwealth design forcolonels, which has a button and a narrow line of darker piping where the slit buttonhole would have been.)
In theBritish Empire the patches were introduced as insignia during theSouth African War (1889-1902). They have been used ever since in many countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The collar patches of most of the armed forces of the Middle East and Arab derive from the uniform tradition of the European empires that dominated the region until World War II, especially Britain and France.
Afghan army has collar patches similar toCommonwealth ones. Under theRepublic of Afghanistan, Afghan police officers working for the Ministry of Interior had a singular star on each collar patch.
InAustria collar patches of theFederal Army report the rank and the arm of service. They are also used in the police and fire service. Traditional, corps colours (German:Waffenfarben or Adjustierungsfarben) dominate the basic colours of the rank insignia.
In theAustro-Hungarian Army (k.u.k. Army), collar patches with rank insignia, appliquéd on the gorget of uniform coat, or jacket and the battle-dress blouse, were designatedParoli.
The galleries below show examples ofParolis
InAustralia traditional gorget patches are worn by army colonels and general officers as well as by navy midshipmen. In theSt John Ambulance Australia First Aid Services Branch, gorget patches distinguish State Staff Officers and National Staff Officers from those who are officers of a division or region.
In theBangladesh Armed Forces officers of the rank of colonel equivalent and above wear gorget patches. They are respectively red, sky blue and black or golden yellow in color. For Colonel and above equivalent ranks "Shapla" insignia is displayed. Each higher flag rank level above colonel has an additional star added.
In theBelgian army, the gorget patches have a branch color and rank insignia.
In theBrazilian Army the gorget patches, embroidered oak leaves in silver, are worn on both lapels of rifle green and grey formal dress uniforms by generals. The same insignia, in gold, is worn on both collars of gala full-dress uniforms.
In theState of São Paulo Military Police, commanding officers of the rank of colonel wear, on both lapels of their dark-grey formal uniforms, embroidered silver insignia. This consists of an armillary sphere, surrounded with laurels and with a star on top.
Gorget patches in theBulgarian Army show which branch the wearer belongs to.
With the restoration of historical nomenclature and features to theCanadian Army in 2013[1] reinstated insignia included traditional gorget patches for colonels and general officers. For combat branches these are in scarlet with gold embroidery for generals. However the gorget patches worn by senior officers of the Medical Branch are dull cherry, the Dental Branch emerald green and the Chaplain Branch purple.
InPeople's Liberation Army ofPeople's Republic of China gorget patches are used to denote a military rank.
In Egypt red collar patches symbolize the highest ranks of officers.
Finnish Army and Air Force use collar patches in dress uniforms. They are used to displayrank and corps colours. Not in use on field uniform.
In theFrench Army collar patches were used on tunics and greatcoats from the early nineteenth century onwards. Usually in contrasting collars to the collar itself, they came to carry a regimental number or specialist insignia. With the adoption of a new light-beige dress uniform for all ranks in the 1980s, the practice of wearing coloured collar patches was discontinued.
Collar patches, or gorget patches (German:Kragenspiegel, alsoKragenpatten orArabesquen), are to be worn on the gorget (on both collar points) of military uniform in German speaking armed forces.
However, collar patch insignia forgeneral officers of theHeer (Army) are traditionally calledArabesque collar patch, alsoLarish embroidery,Old Prussian embroidery, orArabesquen embroidery (German:Arabesken-Kragenspiegel, alsoLarisch-Stickerei,Altpreußische Stickerei orArabeskenstickerei).[2]
In theGerman Empire, generals, some officers, guardsmen and seamen wore Kragenspiegel, but these were not part of the service-wide uniform.
In theWeimar Republic such patches (orLitzen) were introduced throughout thearmy in 1921, where they indicated the rank and the arm of service, but were not used in the navy.
TheWehrmacht continued this. Some Nazi-era civil services (e.g., police and railways) wore uniforms with collar tabs, similar to thearmed forces' tabs. New tabs were also introduced for the political leaders of theNSDAP as well as new Nazi organisations like theSturmabteilung (SA) or theSchutzstaffel (SS).
East Germany used similar collar tabs to those of theWehrmacht for itsarmy andair force. Collar tabs were also worn by some personnel of thenavy.
Thearmed forces of theFederal Republic of Germany also maintained the use of collar tabs in thearmy and theair force, where they indicate to which branch (orTruppengattung) an individual soldier belongs. Members of theGerman Navy do not wear collar tabs.
In theHellenic Army, the use of gorget/collar patches (επιρράμματα) was introduced for the undress and field uniforms, via Austrian and French influences, at the turn of the 20th century. They consist of a distinctive background colour or combination of colours, that denote a specific arm of service or corps; officers also feature a metal device with the arms/corps emblem, while other ranks and non-professional NCOs do not. General officers use a British-style general officer' patch.
Collar patches are also used by theHellenic Police (and formerly by theGreek Gendarmerie and theCities Police) and theHellenic Fire Service.
Senior officers, especially the commanding officer of each disciplinary unit inHong Kong use gorget patches in their formal uniforms:
The various services inherited their used as Hong Kong was a formerBritish colony.
Gorget patches, officially, called "monograms", are worn by members of theIndonesian National Police. Most patches consist of cotton and rice embroidery (or sometimes metal made) on a dark brown background, with a red background for general officers and cadets of theNational Police Academy.[3]
Gorget patches have been worn by police since their separation from theIndonesian National Armed Forces in 1999.
In India, coloured gorget patches are used by senior-rankingArmed Forces officers of selection-grade rank (colonels, naval captains and group captains) and above: scarlet forIndian Army officers, gold in theIndian Navy and navy blue in theIndian Air Force. TheChief of Defence Staff wears maroon patches.[4] Fullcolonels in the army wear golden braid on their patches to signify theircommanding officer rank, while Navy captains and Air Force group captains wear twin silver oakleaves on theirs, set perpendicular to each other.[5][6]
Flag officers of one-star through five-star rank wear a corresponding number of stars in gold (Indian Army) or silver (Indian Navy and Indian Air Force) on their collar patches. Flag officers of three-star rank and above who hold command positions wear an oak leaf wreath on each gorget patch, gold in the Army and silver in the Navy and Air Force. Only theChief of Defence Staff and the three armed force chiefs hold four-star rank and only afield marshal or amarshal of the air force wears five stars. Till date,Sam Manekshaw andKodandera Madappa Cariappa are the only two officers who have been appointed to the rank of Field Marshal, whileArjan Singh has been appointed to the rank ofMarshal of the Indian Air Force. If the Indian Navy rank of Admiral of the Fleet is ever created, the holder would presumably wear five silver stars on a gold patch.
Commandants and deputy inspector-generals (below four years service) in theIndian Coast Guard, who rank with Indian Navy captains, wear a similar insignia of twin golden oakleaves set perpendicularly to each other and mounted onblack-coloured patches. Coast Guard officers of one-star through three-star rank wear a corresponding number of gold stars on their patches.[7] All senior ranking police officers of the Rank ofSenior Superintendent of Police (SSP) or Senior Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (both ranks being equivalent with Deputy Commissioner's are only in towns which has moved over to a commissioner system of policing this rank being equivalent to a full colonel in the Army) get a dark blue patch with a silver lining. This remains the same for the next higher rank ofDeputy Inspector General (DIG) or Additional Commissioner of Police (Addl. CP). However, the next senior officer,The Inspector General (IG) or Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) has a silver design of a long leaf rather than a simple silver lining on their patch. This remains the same for the ranks ofCommissioner of Police and theDirector General of Police (DGP).
In Iran black collar patches identify the highest ranks of officers.
In theIrish Defence Forces, officers of Brigadier-general rank and above wear red and gold gorget patches.[8]
Since the late nineteenth century theItalian Army has made extensive use of coloured collar patches to distinguish branches of service such as the artillery, infantry brigades and individual cavalry regiments. In 1902 eachline infantry brigade (comprising two regiments) was distinguished by large collar patches of a distinctive colour or combination of colours. The universal silver "active service" star was attached at the front of each patch.[9]
There are also distinctive collar patches for theSan Marco Regiment (Navy), theGuardia di Finanza, theCarabinieri and the civilianpolice corps.
In Jordan red collar patches symbolize the highest ranks of officers.
Gorget patches are worn by senior officers of theNepalese Army,Nepal Police andArmed Police Force Nepal. Gorget patches are called "Collar Docks" in the Nepal Police.
TheNew Zealand Defence Force has collar patches for senior officers on theCommonwealth model.
InNorth Korea gorget patches are used to denote a military rank.
In Oman black collar patches distinguish the most senior ranks of officers.
In Pakistan, collar patches are worn by senior officers and staff officers on the basis of their rank. A collar patch signifies that an officer is either a staff officer (Colonel) or aGeneral Officer (Brigadier General or above).
When wearing non-combatstandard uniform orservice dress, Staff Officers (Colonel) in thePakistan Army wear collar patches of crimson color with straight golden stripes andGeneral officers wear collar patches of crimson color with golden braid.
When wearingcombat uniform (CCD), the collar patches of junior officers (Lieutenant Colonel and below) carry the insignia of serving arms. Staff officers (Colonel) have no collar patch andGeneral officers (Brigadier General and above) wear the corresponding number of stars that theirrank carries on the collar.
Historically coloured gorget patches of a distinctive "arrow head" pattern were used in theRomanian army to distinguish regiments and branches. They survive to a limited extent in the collar braiding of modern ceremonial uniforms.
In theRussian Empire collar patches of red, blue, white and green distinguished each infantry regiment within a given division. Cavalry and other branches had a variety of collar patches.
In theUSSR in 1924-1943 they served as the primary insignia of military ranks. The rank system changed several times, and collar patches were different in1924–1935,1935–1940 and1940–1943 systems. When theshoulder straps were restored in 1943, collar tabs remained as an insignia of the branch and the arm of service. Since 1932 they were also used as an insignia in some civil services.
The state of affairs is the same in the modernRussian Federation.
In Somalia, only officers above the rank of Second Lieutenant (or Ensign) wear gorget patches, the Army wears red patches, the Navy wear black patches, the Air Force wear navy blue patches, the Police wear royal blue patches and the Custodial Corps wear green patches. Upon reaching the rank of Brigadier General or Commodore Admiral, the patches then will have a golden ornate pattern on them.
General officers andsenior officers of the ranks of brigadier and colonel in theSri Lanka Army wear gold-on-red gorget patches according to their rank; air force officers of similar rank wear white-on-blue gorget patches. Senior gazetted officers in theSri Lanka Police ranks wear gorget patches of gold-on-black and silver-on-black.Officer cadets in the Army, Navy and the Air Force also wear patches.The Sri Lanka Army followed the British Army pattern for the gorget patches of its general officer and senior officers of the ranks of brigadier and colonel. In the late 2000s, the practice was changed byField MarshalSarath Fonseka, who adopted the Indian Army pattern, with gold/silver stars (number of stars denoting the rank) on scarlet background; worn on Dress No 2A, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 6A, 6B, 7 and 8. Officers of the rank of field marshal, general and the commander of the army would have an oak leaf chain of two oak leaves in gold colour. The traditional British pattern was retained for Dress No1, No 3 and 3A. For the officers of theSri Lanka Army Medical Corps the background will be in maroon.[10]
InSwedish Army gorget patches on the combat uniform denote a branch of service and rank.
In theSwiss army collar patches denote the rank and the arm of service.
In Syria red collar patches symbolize the highest ranks of officers.
In theSoviet Ukraine colored collar patches (though without gorgets) were used, as in other parts of theUSSR.
Historically Ukrainian national units during the period 1918-1920 and again 1941-45 wore collar patches resembling the gorget patches of other armies.[11] These included theUkrainian Sich Riflemen, theUkrainian People's Army, theSich Riflemen, and theUkrainian Galician Army.
General officers andsenior staff officers of theBritish Army wear gorget patches according to their branch or arm of service; their counterpart police ranks wear similar gorget patches of silver-on-black (gold-on-black in theCity of London Police).Officer cadets in theMerchant Navy, Army and theRoyal Air Force also wear patches.
Introduced for British Army staff officers in India in 1887, the patches subsequently proliferated. Different colours were introduced to indicate the branch of service and by 1940 one finds:
During World War I all staff officers from second lieutenants upwards wore gorget patches and hatbands of these colours, making them conspicuous in the trenches and leading to the nickname of "the gilded staff".[12] From 1921 coloured collar patches were restricted to full colonels on the staff and above.[13]
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