Cap badge A cap badge , also known as head badge or hat badge , is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer ' s nationality and / or organisation . The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces , as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy Scouts , civil defence organizations , paramedical units ( e . g . the St . John Ambulance Brigade ) , customs services , fire services etc . Cap badges are a modern form of heraldry and their design generally incorporates highly symbolic devices . British Army . In the British Army ( as well as Commonwealth armies ) each regiment and corps has its own cap badge . The cap badge of the Queen ' s Royal Lancers is called a motto by those within the regiment , that of the Royal Horse Artillery is known as a cypher and that of the Coldstream Guards is known as a Capstar . The concept of regimental badges appears to have originated with the British Army . The Encyclopædia Britannica ' s 1911 Edition notes that although branch badges for infantry , cavalry and so on were common to other armies of the time , only the British Army wore distinctive regimental devices . Cap badge variations . Plastic cap badges were introduced during the Second World War , when metals became strategic materials . Nowadays many cap badges in the British Army are made of a material called " stay - brite " ( Anodised Aluminium , Anodising is an electro - plating process resulting in lightweight shiny badge ) , this is used because it is cheap , flexible and does not require as much maintenance as brass badges . Regimental cap badges are usually cast as one single piece but in a number of cases they may be cast in different pieces . For instance , the badge of the now amalgamated , The Highlanders ( Seaforth , Gordons and Camerons ) was cast in two separate pieces : the Queen ' s Crown and the thistle forming one piece , and the stag ' s head and scroll with regimental motto forming a second piece ( see the first picture above ) . In the Royal Marines , the cap badges of commissioned officers are split into two , the crown and lion atop , but separated from , the globe and laurels . A regiment or battalion may maintain variations of the same cap badge for different ranks . These variations are usually in the badges ' material , size and stylization . Variations in cap badges are normally made for : There are exceptions such as the Welsh Guards , where all ranks wear a cloth cap badge . Officers wearing a more elaborate version to that of soldiers , made using gold thread and has a more three dimensional design . The only exception to this is recruits in training who have to wear the brass ( or more often " stay - brite " ) leek , often referred to as the " NAAFI fork " , only until they have passed out of training and reached their battalion will they receive their cloth leek . All ranks of the Special Air Service wear an embroidered capbadge and all ranks of The Rifles wear the same metal badge . Some regiments maintain a blackened or subdued version of their cap badges as shiny brass cap badges may attract the enemy ' s attention on the battlefield . However , since the practice of British soldiers fighting in their berets has all but died out , the wearing of these has become much less common in recent years . Wearing conventions . The cap badge is positioned differently depending on the form of headdress : Soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment and subsequently the Royal Gloucestershire , Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment wore a cap badge on both the front and the rear of their headdress , a tradition maintained by soldiers in The Rifles when in service dress . The back badge is unique in the British Army and was awarded to the 28th Regiment of Foot for their actions at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 . Additional items that reflect a regiment ' s historical accomplishments , such as backing cloth and hackle s , may be worn behind the cap badge . In Scottish regiments , for instance , it is a tradition for soldiers to wear their cap badges on a small square piece of their regimental tartan s . Officer Cadet s may wear a small white backing behind their badges . Members of arms such as the Adjutant General ' s Corps and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers serving on attachment to other units often wear that regiment ' s beret or headdress but with their own Corps capbadge . For a period leading up to Remembrance Day artificial poppies are worn by many people in the United Kingdom and Canada to commemorate those killed in war . When worn in uniform the plastic stem of the poppy is discarded and the paper petals are fitted behind the beret badge where a metal cap badge is worn . On forage cap s the paper petals are fitted under the left hand chin strap button . Canadian Forces . The Canadian Forces utilize a variety of metal and cloth cap badges on their headdress . Distinct cap badges identify service members ' personnel branch or , in the case of infantry and armoured soldiers , regimental affiliation . United States . U . S . Army . In the United States Army , a Distinctive Unit Insignia ( DUI ) is worn on the flash of a beret . For service cap s , a gilt eagle device is worn . This is the Great Seal of the United States . In the late nineteenth century , this device on a blue circle was listed as the equivalent of the roundel that appeared on headgear of many European armies . For officers , a large eagle device is worn . For enlisted men , a small version of the officer ' s insignia centered on a disk is worn on the front . Warrant Officer s wear a gold eagle device centered on the cap . For garrison caps , generally the rank insignia is worn , but recent regulations call for the wear of the DUI . U . S . Air Force . For U . S . Air Force service caps , a large , silver eagle device is worn on the service caps . For enlisted men , a smaller version of the officer ' s insignia is worn , but inclosed in a ring . The use of the same device is because the U . S . Air Force was once part of the U . S . Army . Navies . Cap badges used by navies ( and merchant mariners ) around the world tend to follow the pattern in use by the British Royal Navy : an anchor , or occasionally a cockade , surrounded by golden leaf - shaped embroidery , and often topped by a crown or another symbol . For petty officer s the leaves may be absent or replaced by a ring of golden cable . The main exception to this is the United States Navy , which once followed this pattern , but changed after the Civil War to the current designs , with crossed anchors behind the eagle and shield for commissioned officers . Police . The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , as well as provincial and municipal police forces , utilize forage caps and metal cap badges , though it is not uncommon to see modern police personnel on duty without headdress .