Facing colour

[2][3][4] During the Ancien Régime, there were many different facing colours (notably various shades of blue, red, yellow, green and black) on the standard grey-white uniforms of the French line infantry.

[6] In 1791 an attempt was made to rationalize facings by giving groupings of up to six regiments a single colour, relying on secondary features such as piping or button patterns to distinguish separate units.

[7] The rise of mass conscript armies during and following the Napoleonic Wars led to increasing standardisation of facing colours, for reasons both of economy and supply efficiency.

The standard red jacket ("redcoat") worn by British infantry soldiers from the mid-17th century made it difficult to distinguish between units engaged in battle.

By the 19th century, for reasons of economy, coat linings had become a universal white or black and distinctive regimental facings were reduced to collars and cuffs sewn on to the basic garment.

Facings remained a part of the ceremonial uniforms retained by Household troops, bandsmen, officers and other limited categories after World War I.

The United States regular army after the American Civil War adopted a universal dark and light blue uniform under which each regiment was distinguished only by numbers and other insignia, plus branch colors.

[13] In the very large Imperial German and Russian armies infantry facing colours were often allocated according to the position that a particular regiment held in the order of battle – that is within a brigade, division or corps.