A pre-2007 stable belt of the Royal Air Force. Newer versions feature a metal decorative buckle.
A stable belt is a striped coloured belt worn at times by the armed forces of the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and a few other countries including Denmark, Brazil and Lebanon. The stripes vary by regiment and corps, identifying the wearer's unit. In Brazil and Lebanon they are known as gymnastic belts.
The term "stable belt" originates from when UK cavalrymen would place the surcingle around the waist when cleaning the stables and tending to their horses.[1] In the 1950s they spread to all branches of the armed forces, adding a splash of colour and individuality to the drab khaki working uniforms. Initially they were resisted by many senior officers, who saw them as too individualistic, but they soon became accepted throughout the UK forces, and spread to the forces of a number of other countries. The "gymnastic belt" of some countries has a similar appearance and purpose, with a name reflecting its origin in physical training equipment. Sword belts of similar appearance are used on ceremonial occasions by some military forces.[2][3]
Australia
The Australian Army adopted the stable belt in the late 1970s, however they were removed from service in 1995.[4]
In Brazil, the gymnastic belt (Portuguese: cinto ginástico) is one of the most traditional elements of the uniforms of the Military Firefighters Corps. It has been used with few modifications since 1887.[5] Made of cotton and leather, earlier examples were reinforced to serve as climbing harnesses. Modern gymnastic belts are of lighter construction and only worn as ceremonial item.
There are two versions of the gymnastics belt:
The belt is red, with gold-coloured metal buckles.
Denmark
The Danish Army, Home Guard, and Air Force all use stable belts. The Danish Defence's close co-operation with the British Army of the Rhine in the 1950s created the interest in a similar belt for the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was introduced in 1968.[6] In the late 1970s it was decided to allow stable belts for all regiments in Denmark. The design of the belt would be based on the colours of the regiment, and a colour to signify their role. To show the transition between role and regiment colours, a thin line was introduced, there is however no system with these.[7][8]
The Danish armed forces have had a total of 43 different stable belts, of which about sixteen remain in use. Only the standard black stable belt is issued, other belts have to be purchased individually, so are neither regulation nor compulsory.[9]
The QAMR belt is black with a central amber stripe as used by the original Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles, they are also the colours of the Taranaki, where the unit's foundations were laid in the early 1860s.
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment;
Personnel of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, with the exception of those serving in Territorial Force battalion groups, wear the regimental belt of the Durham Light Infantry, being rifle green with two thin red stripes. The belt was adopted as the RNZIR Corps belt in 1970. The Durham Light Infantry regimental belt was given to the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment when it relieved the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry at Sarawak, Borneo in May 1966.
New Zealand Special Air Service;
Originates from belt worn by the British Special Air Service. It was first worn in 1965 by 1 Detachment, 1 Ranger Squadron NZSAS. The colours originate from a concept by David Stirling integrating the Oxford Blue and Cambridge Blue.[12]
Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment;
The Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment stable belt is blue with a silver buckle displaying the regimental badge surrounded by the regimental motto "Ma Nga Hua Tu-Tangata" (By our actions we are known).
Reserve Infantry Battalions
The reserve battalions of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment retain their own patterns of stable belt. In 2013 the reserve battalions were amalgamated, reducing their number from six to three. No decision was made on the future of the various battalions' belts.[10]
2nd (Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast) Battalion;
Rifle green, as worn by the Battalions Allied Regiment, The Royal Irish Rangers.
3rd (Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland) Battalion;
Two sets of thin red and white stripes on a black background, adopted in 1995. Originally the belt consisted of three evenly-sized stripes of red, black, and white, and were based on the regiment's colours.
4th (Otago and Southland) Battalion;
The Otago and Southland Regimental belt is that of Queen's Own Highlanders, and is the pattern of the McKenzie tartan.
5th (Wellington West Coast and Taranaki) Battalion;
Two separate belts are worn; officers and warrant officers wear a black belt with central stripes of red, green, yellow, mauve, and red, while soldiers below the rank of warrant officer wear a black belt with central stripes of yellow, red, green, and mauve. The belts adopted in 1973 were based on the Royal Hampshire Regiment with colours stemming from the regimental colours and the colours of the lace and facings on the uniforms of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment.
6th (Hauraki) Battalion;
Thames blue with a gold strip in the middle, derived from the old Royal Warwickshire Regiment which in turn is derived from the old 6th Regiment of Foot. The 6th Foot were once charged with guarding the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London; hence the blue of the belt represents the Thames river and the gold stripe, the crown jewels.[13] The belt was introduced in 1975 and has a buckle in worn centre which has the Regiments badge mounted.
7th (Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay) Battalion;
The 7th Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay Battalion Group inherited the York and Lancaster Regiment stable belt. The belt is composed of maroon bands at the top and bottom (16mm wide), with a centre stripe of black (18mm wide) with a silver stripe above and gold stripe (each 6mm wide) below the centre strip. The York and Lancaster Regiment was allied to the Wellington Regiment in 1913 in recognition of the York and Lancs (65th of Foot) 19 year participation in the New Zealand Wars.
Single colour, front fastening, Royal Navy stable belt, (2020).Horizontally striped, side fastening, Royal Observer Corps stable belt, (1995).
A stable belt is a wide webbingbelt comprising a single solid colour or horizontally striped in two or more different colours. The original cavalry regiment stable belts buckled at the side using leather straps in order to both avoid chafing the wearer's stomach while undertaking stable work and avoid marking or catching upon the horse's harness. Many contemporary stable belts now secure at the front using a metal clip or metal plate bearing a regimental/service emblem. Whilst a limited number of army regiments, including the Light Infantry, secure their stable belts at the front using the original two leather straps, generally those belts fitted with leather straps are secured on the left-hand side.
The belt is worn around the waist and in the case of PCS is fitted through the trouser belt loops. In the British Army and Royal Marines, when worn with barrack dress, the belt is placed either through the belt loops of trousers or a skirt, or over a jersey. In the Royal Air Force (RAF), it is worn with service working dress (No. 2 dress) either covering the top of the trousers (or skirt) and the lower part of the shirt, or through the belt loops if able to accommodate the belt's width. Unlike the Army, the RAF do not wear the belt over the jersey. (The former Royal Observer Corps conformed to RAF dress regulations). Historically, the Royal Navy rarely wore stable belts unless working in a tri-service environment. However, these are now available as part of the new Royal Navy uniform RNPCS, replacing the old No. 4 Dress.
Stable belts are worn with most styles of informal dress, but not with full dress, service dress or mess dress. Every regiment and corps of the British Army has its own stable belt and, as is the case throughout the UK armed services, belts are not issued but purchased by individual service personnel at their own expense and are therefore optional items of uniform/equipment. However, their widespread use effectively renders them a standard uniform item.
The following belt patterns are shown in cross section, the stripes actually being horizontal as worn, and are actually considerably wider than shown, although the stripes are shown in correct proportion. Where belts are asymmetric, the left-hand side of the illustration is the uppermost as worn.
^"39. ROYAL NAVY OFFICERS AND RATINGS, Annex 39A: RN Dress Tables". Royal Navy Book of Reference(PDF) (Report) (9 ed.). October 2018. p. 39A-1,39A-33. BRd3(1).
^Army Operational Command (Sep 2012). "Uniform Regulations for the Army"(PDF). parawings.com (in Danish). p. 806. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
^ ab"Chapter 6, Section 3: Stable Corps and Regimental Belts". NZ P77. New Zealand Defence Force.
^Thomas, M.; Lord, C. (1995). New Zealand Army distinguishing patches, 1911–1991, Part 2: Corps and Regimental Distinctions. Wellington. ISBN0473032899.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Worn by Regimental Headquarters. Squadrons wear old stable belts: Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry, Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry, and Westminster Dragoons.
^Individual squadrons wear old stable belts: Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, Royal Devon Yeomanry, and Dorset Yeomanry.
^ abcdeWhen it was formed in 1992, all AGC personnel wore the same stable belt, but the branches gradually won the right to wear the stable belts of their predecessor corps, and today only the Staff and Personnel Support Branch wears the AGC stable belt.
^Worn by the RHQ, HQ Squadron and Band only. Other sub-units have their own stable belts.
^Sherwood Foresters stable belt with silver stripe to distinguish EMU OTC from its (foster) parent unit.
^The RAF Regiment stable belt has the same colours as the general RAF belt; however it features an interlocking RAF Regiment badge.
^The Scottish Yeomanry (1992-1999) adopted the stable belt of the 15th/19th Kings Royal Hussars following the latters amalgamation. This was decided due to its similarity to the Ayrshire Yeomanry's previous belt.
^Worn by 41st (Princess Louise's Kensington) Signal Squadron (Volunteers).
Sources
Jobson, Christopher (2009). Looking Forward, Looking Back: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army. Wavell Heights, Queensland: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN978-0-9803251-6-4.
Materiel Regulations for The Army, Volume 3, Pamphlet No.16, Optional items of dress, Ministry of Defence, London, 1995
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