British Army officer rank insignia Origins . In the 17th and 18th centuries , rank was generally denoted by the quantity of lace and through other decoration used on uniforms . While a crossed sword and baton was already used by general s by 1800 , until the Crimean War , the different grades of general were only distinguished by the grouping of the buttons on their coats - General : even spaced buttons ; Lieutenant General : buttons in groups of three ; Major General and Brigadier General : buttons in pairs . Badges for field officers were first introduced in 1810 , and for captain s and subaltern officers in 1855 . These badges consisted of ( and still consist of ) crowns and stars , the latter being more likely to be called ' pips ' today ( although this term is technically incorrect ) . Colonel : a crown and a star ; Lieutenant Colonel : a Crown ; Major : a star . These rank insignia were worn on shoulder epaulets . After crimean war , 1855 a new dress regulation was published for British army , In this regulation , British army introduced new and complete rank insignias for officers . According to Dress regulation , rank insignias were as follows - After 1864 , Another dress regulations was published , there was a change in the insignia of Brig Gen . According to 1864 dress regulations , Brig Gen wore 1 inch oak leaves and acron designed laces on upper and lower collar and no pip and crown . During 1855 to 1880 , Guards infantry regimental officers were wore different rank insignias . Colonel , Lt Colonel and Major wore 1 / 2 inch regimental pattern laces on upper and lower collar with one crown and one pip . Captain wore similar collar with one crown . Brevet Major - Similar collar with one pip . Lt - similar lace on upper collar with one crown and one pip , Ensign - Similar collar with one crown . Whereas Life Guards and Horse Guards regimental officers wore similar rank insignias of Line infantry . After 1874 , another dress regulation was introduced , collar devices are same for field and Company grade officers , but collar pattern was changed . Line , Light and fusilier regiments were used one pattern collar , Dragoon Guards and Dragoon used another pattern , Hussar another pattern , Lancer another pattern . Individual types regiment and corps used different pattern of collar . This pattern collar was continued until Queen VIctoria ' s death . The star is that of the Order of the Bath , except in the Household regiments . The Life Guards , Blues and Royals , Grenadier Guards , Coldstream Guards and Welsh Guards use the star of the Order of the Garter , the Scots Guards that of the Order of the Thistle , and the Irish Guards that of the Order of St Patrick . The Crown has varied in the past , with the King ' s Imperial Crown being used from 1910 until it was replaced by the St Edward ' s Crown from the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 . All officers ' badges on service dress were originally of gilding metal , except for Rifle regiments and the Royal Army Chaplains ' Department , which used bronze instead . A variety of alternative materials and prints have been used on various styles of dress . The insignia was moved to the shoulder boards in 1880 for all officers in full dress , when the system of crowns and stars was reorganised on similar lines to that seen today . Exceptions included the rank of Brigadier General ( now Brigadier - see below ) and until 1902 , a Captain had just two stars and a Lieutenant one star . From 1871 , the rank of Ensign ( Cornet in cavalry regiments ) was replaced with the rank of Second Lieutenant , which had no insignia . The 1902 change gave the latter a single star and the insignia of Lieutenants and Captains were increased to two and three stars respectively . In addition to the shoulder badges , officers ' ranks were also reflected in the amount and pattern of gold lace worn on the cuffs of the full - dress tunic . Brigadier - General s wore a crossed sword and baton symbol on its own . In 1922 the rank was replaced with Colonel - Commandant , a title that reflected the role more accurately , but which many considered to be inappropriate in a British context . From 1928 the latter was replaced with the rank of Brigadier with the rank insignia used to this day . In 1902 , a complex system of markings with bars and loops in thin drab braid above the cuff ( known irreverently as the " asparagus bed " ) was used at first , but this was replaced in the same year by a combination of narrow rings of worsted braid around the cuff , with the full - dress style shoulder badges on a three - pointed cuff flap . Based on equivalent naval ranks , Colonels had four rings of braid , Lieutenant - Colonels and majors three , captains two and subalterns one . In the case of Scottish regiments , the rings were around the top of the gauntlet - style cuff and the badges on the cuff itself . General officers still wore their badges on the shoulder strap . During World War I , some officers took to wearing similar jackets to the men , with the rank badges on the shoulder , as the cuff badges made them too conspicuous to snipers . This practice was frowned on outside the trenches but was given official sanction in 1917 as an optional alternative , being made permanent in 1920 , when the cuff badges were abolished . Today , when in combat dress ( Combat Soldier 95 ) the ' rank slide ' is worn on the centre of the chest , rather than on the shoulder .