Willsden Borough Council Fire Brigade 17mm - Pre-1941 Brass Fire...
Surbiton Fire Brigade 25mm - Pre-1941 White Metal Fire Service uniform...
Swindon Fire Brigade 22.5mm - Pre-1941 White Metal Fire Service uniform...
Southampton Fire Brigade 16.5mm - Pre-1941 Brass Fire Service uniform...
Oakley Volunteer Fire Brigade 15.5mm - Pre-1941 Brass Fire Service...
Glasgow Fire Department 23.5mm - Early Type White Metal Fire Service...
Astley Cross Fire Brigade 23.5mm - Pre-1941 Brass Fire Service uniform...
Chepstow Fire Brigade 23.5mm - Pre-1941 White Metal Fire Service...
Staybrite (electro-plated Anodised Aluminum) began to replace the traditional metals used for British military uniform clothing buttons from about 1950 and is still used for modern buttons. King George VI died in 1952 so buttons with a King's Crown (KC) are relatively scarce. These Staybrite (...
Staybrite (electro-plated Anodised Aluminum) began to replace the traditional metals used for British military uniform clothing buttons from about 1950 and is still used for modern buttons. King George VI died in 1952 so buttons with a King's Crown (KC) are relatively scarce. These Staybrite (Anodised Aluminium) uniform buttons are available to buy and are listed alphabetically by Unit. Numbered regiment buttons are at the beginning.
In the British Armed Forces, buttons tend to be permanently sewn onto uniform, but some uniforms that require more frequent washing have detachable buttons that are fastened using metal k-clips or button-rings. This might apply to tropical uniforms or chefs' whites.
Screw-fit buttons are made for the shoulder boards of ceremonial uniforms and are fastened to uniforms using special shoulder shanks, which are sewn onto the shoulder of the uniform. Please note that manufacturers have used different sizes of screw-fitting over the years and we cannot guarantee to have the correct size on stock, particularly for very old screw fit buttons. If you need shoulder shanks, it would be easier to order them at the same time as ordering the screw-fit buttons as we will try to enclose the matching size.
Due to established practice and customer preference, our stock is sold without fastenings such as button rings, k-grips or shoulder shanks for screw-fit buttons, however these are (usually) available separately.
British Army buttons are as varied as cap badges. Each unit has its own unique regimental button, often with a crest and sometimes a crown. Some regiments have a second design for use on cap buttons. Most fall into 3 size categories:
Small | about 14mm diameter | for the cap and mess dress waistcoats (vests). This size is also used for gorgets (red tabs worn by Generals on the collar). |
---|---|---|
Medium | about 19mm diameter | for pockets and shoulder straps (epaulettes) of most parade uniforms, also the front-fastening of Other Ranks Khaki No.2 Dress jackets. |
Large | about 25mm diameter | for the great-coat and the front fastening of Guards' scarlet tunics and Officers' khaki Service Dress jackets. |
Some units have a different range of sizes, such as about 16mm diameter for cuff buttons. We used to annotate these as 'Very-Large', 'Large-Medium' or 'Medium-Small', but for greater accuracy, we now use diameter sizes in millimetres, measured to the nearest half-millimetre.
In British military dress regulations, the diameter of buttons is often measured in 'Lines' or 'Lignes' (abbreviated to 'L'). 40L = 1 inch = 25.4 millimetres.
We prefer to use millimetres because very few people have a way of measuring Lignes. Lignes rarely have an exact equivalent in whole millimetres, which is why we round the measurement to the nearest half-millimetre when describing button sizes.
Ligne | 14L | 16L | 18L | 20L | 22L | 24L | 26L | 28L | 30L | 32L | 36L | 40L | 44L | 48L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Millimetres | 9 | 10 | 11.5 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 30 |
There are fewer Officers than Other Ranks, so Officers' buttons are more scarce. Some sizes of button are rarer than others. Medium-sized buttons are the most common, and the following is a guide to the rarity of other sizes of British Army button -
Dorset Yeomanry (Ram's Head) 20mm Silver Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Dorset Yeomanry (Ram's Head) 26mm Silver Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Dorsetshire Regiment - Pre-1951 18mm - Screw-Fit Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment 14mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment 19.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry 24mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 14.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 19.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 19.5mm - Screw-Fit Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of York's Royal Military School: Dover 14mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of York's Royal Military School: Dover 19.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Duke Of York's Royal Military School: Dover 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
East German - National Peoples Army (NVA) 18mm - Pre-1958 Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
East Lancashire Regiment 18.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Edinburgh University Officers' Training Corps 19mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Edinburgh University Officers' Training Corps 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Essex Regiment - Pre-1958 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Essex Yeomanry 16.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium KC. Staybrite military uniform button
Essex Yeomanry Ball Button 17.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Eton College CCF 19.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium KC. Staybrite military uniform button
Falkland Islands Defence Force 17.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Federation Of Nigeria Army 13mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Federation Of Nigeria Army 19.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button
Field Marshal's 15mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Field Marshal's 19.5mm - Screw-Fit Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Field Marshal's 19mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Field Marshal's 25.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium QC. Staybrite military uniform button
Forester Brigade - 1960-1963 14.5mm - Gold Colour Anodised Aluminium Staybrite military uniform button