BADGES OF SERVICE

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 45

BADGES OF SERVICE

A 1914 CHEVRON

(From Odb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October' 19.

The question of recognising by a distinguishing badge the length of service of soldiers in the present war has advanced a stage by the decision of the War Office announced this week. The Secretary of the War Office notifies, that-soldiers who entered a theatre of war' in 1914 will be given » red chevron, and those whose services began subsequently a blue chevron. An additional blue chevron will be given for each aggregate of 12 months' service. Thus, a soldier who has served, say, in France for 12 months will receive two chevrons, and for 24 months three chevrons, and so on. Only service on full pay will be reckoned as qualifying service for this pupose.' In the French and ..Belgian armies length of service is also indicated by a chevron on the sleeve, each representing a definite period of fighting. It will bo noticed that the rod chevron for 1914 applies onlv to service in France, and that consequently oversea iroops who had sailed for theatres of war before the end of that year are not qualified to wear it. There is' thus an additional argument for the proposal of the Now Zealand and Australian Governments to issue a special ribbon for Gallipoli. Replying to a question in the House, Mr Macpherson said the object of tho War Office was to mark distinctions between different kinds of service. Tho chevron was tho War Office solution. He understood that the Admiralty was considering tht> matter separately. Replying to a further question as to whether anything could be done for those who volunteered for tho army in 1914, but went to the front only in 1915. Mr Macpherson said that they would be entitled to the chevron, but evidently only to tho blue one, for length of service.