When medical officers belong to what is called the “Staff,” and not to any particular regiment, their full-dress is a scarlet tunic with black velvet collar and cuffs, blue cloth trousers with gold lace, two and a half inches wide for a Director-General or Inspector-General, and one inch and three quarters for officers below that rank; cocked hat with black cock’s-tail feathers, shoulder-belt and sword-belt of black morocco.
In undress a double-breasted blue frock coat, two rows of buttons down the front, trousers of dark blue with scarlet stripe, the breadth of the stripe varying according to the rank, the same as the lace.
The forage cap consists of blue cloth with black leather peak and chin strap, black silk oak leaf pattern band, surmounted by a crown embroidered in gold on the front. A shell jacket is also worn in undress, and is the same as for infantry officers, the collar and cuffs of black velvet.
The various ranks in the Medical Department are—
Director-General of the Army Medical Department, who ranks as Brigadier until he has served three years in that rank, when he ranks as Major-General. The latter rank is distinguished by inch lace round the collar with a star at each end, whilst a crown and star in silver with half-inch lace on the collar indicate the former rank.
A Deputy Inspector-General ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel until he has served five years, after which he ranks as a Colonel; he has the same lace, with a crown at the end of the collar. This also is the dress of a Surgeon-Major, who ranks as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the army.
A Staff-Surgeon ranks as Major, and has half-inch lace round the top and bottom of the collar, with a star in silver at each end.
An Assistant-Surgeon ranks as Lieutenant until he has served six years, when he takes rank as Captain. He has the same lace on his collar as a Staff-Surgeon, but has a crown only at each end.
All the Medical Staff who rank equal to or above a Major have two rows of half-inch lace round the top of the cuff, whilst officers below that rank have one row only bound on the cuff.
The officers equal to the rank of Major or above it have the badges of their rank as a crown or star on their collar, whilst officers below that rank have their collars plain. Thus the Medical Department generally may be recognised by their cocked hats with black plume, the black belt, and also by the buttons, which have V. R., with a crown, and “Medical Department” written round.