Up to my ears in "going to Kenya in two days and need five days to get everything done" drills so I'll keep this short;
The red band was worn by all staff officers during the first big bang as were gorget patches... by the time the second big bang came along only Colonels and up wore the gorget patch and the red band EXCEPT for artillery staff officers.
The original qualification for Instructor-in-Gunnery (a title as opposed to a qualification) was gunnery staff officer, often called the long staff course and many other nicknames. To this day in the UK the Locating IG course is called the "long locating course" as opposed to the short locating course used to qualify survey officers and such.
Regimental Standing Orders from the 1950's confirmed the long standing tradition in that IGs on instructional duty. no matter where, wore the red band to distinguish them from the hoi poloi and, artillery safety officers wore a yellow band (easily available in the stores as the cavalry wore them on dress hats) so they too could be easily spotted... all tied to keeping the bangy stuff from hitting the friendly (and squishy) people. AIGs, the NCOs who work with the IGs, wore the dress forage cap (blue with red band) with a white rain cover so they could be easily spotted as well. As stocks of the red/blue forage cap dried up, the CF cap replaced it with the addition of the red band and the rain cover.
When the MP branch adopted the old light infantry red beret, the sailor MPs put a red band around their white sailor forage caps... the Provost Marshal of Gagetown then went to the Base Commander demanding that the AIGs cease and desist impersonating MPs. The Base Commander politely pointed out that the AIGs had been wearing said headdress long before the MP branch was born and the MPs should be proud that the Gunners were allowing them to dress up as highly qualified NCOs who had passed an incredibly difficult series of exams resulting from a year long course in the study of applied violence!
Officer Cadets in training at the artillery school refer to the rapid gathering of AIGs to a error on the gun line as a "blizzard"
Gotta go get another jab!
Mike
