Mark of identity

This relief shows the Royal Engineers’ cap badge. Initially, men from the infantry Labour and Works Battalions wore the General Service cap badge. This was not a popular decision, and many retained their original cap badges instead. In October 1918, the Labour Corps would be granted its own badge, before its disbandment at the end of 1919.

“Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense”, at the center of the badge we see here, is from an old Anglo-Norman dialect harking back to the medieval ruling class in England. According to the Anglica Historia, when King Edward III was dancing with his sibling/cousin, Joan, she humiliated herself when her garter slipped down to her ankle. The king, in an act of chivalry, gently placed the garter in its original position, and said the following words to onlookers: "Shame on those who think evil of it. Those who laugh at this today will be proud to wear it tomorrow because this band will be worn with such honor that those mocking now will be looking for it with much eagerness" ("Honi soit qui mal y pense. Tel qui s'en rit aujourd'hui, s'honorera de la porter, car ce ruban sera mis en tel honneur que les railleurs le chercheront avec empressement").

Today, the Chivalric Order of the Garter (fig. 1), founded by Edward III, is the highest order of chivalry and the third most prestigious honor awarded in Britain.