Forming part of his ‘Guide to…’ series, Ray has gleaned, from an array of sources, an impressive collection of seldom-encountered badges from the British numbered regiments of foot, up to the Army reforms of 1881. The quality of the images is outstanding, mostly in full colour, also usefully they are reproduced full size to aid identification.

This ‘Guide’ is not intended to be a catalogue of badges, but an opportunity to record and illustrate some of the rarest items yet noted - shako and shoulder-belt plates worn by the Georgians, the Glengarry badges, waist-belt clasps and helmet plates of the Victorians. The scope is 1751 to 1881. The subjects, the 109 numbered regiments of foot that in 1881 went to form the regular battalions of the British Army’s new infantry - the so-called ‘Territorial’ or ‘County’ regiments created by Secretary of State for War, Hugh Childers’s, Army reforms. Some 300 images have been included.