The Royal Artillery Cap Badge: History, Symbolism and Meaning
Introduction
Among the cap badges worn by the British Army, few carry the breadth of history borne by that of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. At its centre sits a field gun — the weapon that has defined the regiment's battlefield role for more than three centuries — surmounted by a Royal Crown and accompanied by two of the most celebrated mottos in the British Army: Ubique and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt. It is a badge that tells, in a single image, the story of a regiment that has served wherever the British Army has fought.
The Royal Artillery is one of the oldest and largest regiments in the British Army. Formally established in 1716, it has served in virtually every major conflict involving British forces — from the battlefields of Flanders and the plains of India to the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma, and the mountains of Afghanistan. That extraordinary breadth of service is encoded in a single Latin word on the badge: Ubique — Everywhere.
This guide explores the origins of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and its cap badge, the history and symbolism of each element, the regiment's operational record, and what collectors should know when seeking an original or licensed example of this remarkable piece of British military heritage.
About This Guide
This article has been researched and written by Precision Military Emblems, a specialist producer of officially licensed British military emblems and museum-style heritage displays. Every article in our Military Heritage series is professionally researched using regimental histories, official Army records, museum collections, authoritative secondary sources and primary source material where appropriate, to preserve the stories, symbolism and traditions behind Britain's regiments and corps.
Research Note: This article has been researched using regimental histories, official Army records, Royal Artillery Museum sources, heraldic references and recognised reference works on British military insignia. Where historians disagree or evidence is incomplete, the interpretation presented reflects the balance of the available historical evidence.
Did You Know?
The Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers are the only two corps in the British Army to hold Ubique — Latin for Everywhere — as a battle honour, in place of individual campaign honours. This single word acknowledges service in every theatre in which the British Army has fought.
Who Are the Royal Regiment of Artillery?
The Royal Regiment of Artillery — universally known as the Royal Artillery or simply the Gunners — is one of the oldest and largest formations in the British Army. Formally established by Royal Warrant on 26 May 1716, the regiment was created to provide the British Army with a permanent, professional artillery arm. From its earliest days, the Royal Artillery attracted men of technical skill and scientific knowledge, reflecting the increasingly complex demands of artillery warfare.
The Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery encompasses several distinct branches, each with its own traditions and history. The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) — the most senior branch of the regiment — was formed in 1793 as Britain's horse artillery, created to provide highly mobile artillery support to cavalry formations. In horse artillery batteries, the entire battery was mounted, allowing the guns to manoeuvre rapidly alongside cavalry formations. It is this historical mounted role, not any difference in parade-ground marching cadence, that defines the RHA's distinctive character.
The Royal Horse Artillery retains its own proud traditions and a distinctive identity within the Royal Regiment of Artillery, reflected in its insignia as well as its history. In Service Dress, RHA personnel wear the same Royal Artillery gun badge as the wider regiment. On the beret, however, they wear the Royal Horse Artillery Cypher, which is also worn as the collar badge. The standard Royal Artillery collar badge is the grenade (fusil bomb). Within the RHA, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery wears the Cypher on a red backing behind the beret badge, a distinction unique to that regiment.
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was a separate corps within the Royal Regiment responsible for operating heavy, siege and coastal artillery. The RGA was amalgamated back into the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1924, and its history forms an important part of the wider story of British artillery heritage.
What Does the Royal Artillery Cap Badge Represent?
The Royal Artillery cap badge represents the regiment's identity as the British Army's principal fire support arm, and its enduring commitment to technical excellence, courage and loyalty to the Sovereign. The field gun at its centre is not merely a decorative device — it is a direct statement of the regiment's defining role and its contribution to every major conflict in which the British Army has fought. Together with the Royal Crown and the two mottos, the badge encodes more than three centuries of operational service in a single, immediately recognisable image.
Origins of the Royal Artillery Cap Badge
The Royal Artillery cap badge evolved over the nineteenth century as the regiment's identity and insignia became more formalised. The decision to place a field gun at the centre of the badge was a deliberate statement of identity — the regiment that provided the British Army's firepower would wear its defining weapon as its emblem.
Unlike many infantry regiments that adopted animals, heraldic devices or historical symbols, the Royal Artillery chose the instrument of its trade. The result is one of the most immediately recognisable and functionally honest cap badges in the British Army — a badge that tells you exactly what the regiment does and has always done.
The core elements of the design — the field gun, the Royal Crown, and the two mottos — have remained essentially unchanged for well over a century, giving the badge a consistency and durability that reflects the regiment's own enduring identity.
Key Dates: A Timeline of the Royal Artillery
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1716 | Royal Regiment of Artillery established by Royal Warrant of King George I. |
| 1793 | Royal Horse Artillery formed to provide highly mobile artillery support to cavalry formations. |
| 1832 | Ubique granted by King William IV as a formal battle honour, replacing individual engagement honours. |
| 1914–1918 | First World War; Royal Artillery becomes the dominant arm on the Western Front. |
| 1924 | Royal Garrison Artillery amalgamated back into the Royal Regiment of Artillery. |
| 1939–1945 | Second World War; Royal Artillery serves in every theatre from North Africa to north-west Europe. |
| 1952 | Queen's Crown (St Edward's Crown) introduced to the cap badge following the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. |
| 2022 | King's Crown (Tudor Crown) reintroduced following the accession of King Charles III. |
The Royal Artillery Cap Badge: Design and Elements
The Field Gun
The field gun at the centre of the badge is the regiment's defining symbol. It is a direct reference to the regiment's specialist role as the British Army's principal fire support arm — the formation responsible for delivering artillery fire in support of ground operations. The gun depicted is a stylised representation of a historic field artillery piece, representative of the type of ordnance that defined the Royal Artillery's battlefield role from the eighteenth century onwards. Although modern Royal Artillery equipment has evolved far beyond the field gun, the historic gun has been deliberately retained as the regiment's enduring symbol, preserving a direct visual link to its origins.
The Royal Crown
Surmounting the badge is the Royal Crown, the fundamental symbol of the regiment's loyalty to the Sovereign. As with all British military cap badges, the form of the Crown reflects the reigning monarch at the time of manufacture — and for collectors, identifying the correct crown pattern is one of the most reliable tools for dating a badge.
Badges produced during the reigns of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and King Charles III are universally known to collectors and veterans as the King's Crown. The heraldically correct name for this crown pattern is the Tudor Crown. Following the accession of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952, the badge was updated to display the Queen's Crown — heraldically, St Edward's Crown — a more rounded, cushion-shaped crown with a distinctive profile that differs visibly from the Tudor Crown. The current badge, introduced following the accession of King Charles III, returns to the Tudor Crown.
Ubique
The motto Ubique — Latin for Everywhere — was granted by King William IV in 1832, confirmed by General Order in 1833, in recognition of the Royal Artillery's service in virtually every theatre in which the British Army had fought. Rather than listing individual battle honours, the Royal Artillery was granted a single word that acknowledged service everywhere. Because Ubique serves as the regiment's battle honour, the Royal Artillery does not display the long lists of named engagements that appear on most infantry regimental colours. The Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers are the only two corps in the British Army to hold this distinction.
Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt
The second motto, Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt — meaning Where Right and Glory Lead — reflects the regiment's commitment to duty, honour and service. Together with Ubique, it forms one of the most recognisable combinations of military mottos in the British Army.
Operational Legacy: Three Centuries of Service
The Napoleonic Wars
During the Napoleonic Wars (1793–1815), the Royal Artillery served across Europe, Egypt, the Caribbean and beyond, providing the firepower that supported Wellington's campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula and at Waterloo. The regiment's performance during this period helped establish its reputation as one of the most technically accomplished formations in the British Army.
The First World War
The First World War (1914–1918) transformed the Royal Artillery into the dominant arm of the British Army. Artillery was responsible for the majority of battlefield casualties on the Western Front, and the regiment expanded enormously to meet the demands of industrial-scale warfare. By 1918, the Royal Artillery comprised hundreds of batteries serving across every theatre of the war, from Flanders to Mesopotamia. The sophistication of artillery tactics developed during this period — including predicted fire, counter-battery work and the creeping barrage — shaped military doctrine for generations.
The Second World War
In the Second World War (1939–1945), the Royal Artillery again served in every theatre of operations — from the Western Desert and Italy to north-west Europe and the Far East. Royal Artillery regiments provided the fire support that underpinned every major British offensive, from El Alamein to the Rhine crossing. The regiment also operated anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, reflecting the increasingly diverse demands of modern warfare.
The Cold War and Beyond
During the Cold War, the Royal Artillery formed a key part of the British Army of the Rhine, providing the nuclear and conventional fire support that underpinned NATO's defence of Western Europe. In more recent decades, the regiment has served in the Gulf War (1991), Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq (2003–2009) and Afghanistan (2001–2014), adapting its capabilities to the demands of modern expeditionary warfare.
The Royal Artillery Today
Today, the Royal Artillery remains the British Army's principal fire support arm, equipped with a diverse range of modern systems including the L118 Light Gun, the Archer self-propelled howitzer, the GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) and the Sky Sabre air defence system. Despite this technological transformation, the cap badge has remained largely unchanged — the historic field gun at its centre continuing to symbolise over three hundred years of artillery heritage.
Collecting the Royal Artillery Cap Badge
The Royal Artillery cap badge is a rewarding subject for collectors of British military insignia. Its long production history — spanning from the Victorian era through to the current King's Crown version — means that the collecting field is rich and varied, with examples covering more than a century of British military history.
King's Crown Badges (Tudor Crown)
Badges produced during the reigns of King Edward VII (1901–1910), King George V (1910–1936), King George VI (1936–1952) and King Charles III (2022–present) are known to collectors and veterans as King's Crown badges — heraldically, the Tudor Crown. George V and George VI era examples are particularly sought after, especially those with documented provenance linking them to named soldiers or specific campaigns.
Queen's Crown Badges (St Edward's Crown)
The majority of Royal Artillery cap badges encountered by collectors will be Queen's Crown versions, produced between 1952 and 2022. The heraldically correct name for this crown pattern is St Edward's Crown — a more rounded, cushion-shaped form that is visibly distinct from the Tudor Crown. Early Queen's Crown badges are typically constructed from gilded or silvered brass, with hand-soldered fittings. From the late 1950s onwards, Staybrite anodised aluminium badges were introduced as a more practical alternative for everyday wear.
Victorian Badges
Badges produced during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901) are among the rarest and most historically significant examples in the Royal Artillery collecting field. These early badges reflect the period when the regiment's cap badge design was still evolving, and well-preserved examples with documented provenance are particularly desirable.
Officers' Badges
Officers' Royal Artillery cap badges were typically produced to a higher standard than other-ranks' badges, often in silver or silver plate with finer detail and higher quality construction. They are among the most desirable items for serious collectors and command a premium at specialist militaria auctions.
Recognised Manufacturers and Maker's Marks
Two makers are particularly associated with quality Royal Artillery cap badges: J.R. Gaunt & Son of London and Birmingham, and Firmin & Sons of London — both long-established suppliers of British Army insignia whose marks are widely regarded as reliable indicators of quality and authenticity. Later production badges, particularly from the 1960s onwards, were also produced in Staybrite anodised aluminium by various approved manufacturers. Maker's marks are typically found on the reverse of the badge, either stamped into the metal or on a small label.
Provenance and Authenticity
Provenance is the single most important factor in determining the value of an original Royal Artillery cap badge. A badge accompanied by service records, a soldier's photograph, or other documentation that establishes its history tells a far richer story than the insignia alone. Collectors should examine the reverse of any badge carefully for maker's marks, fitting types and construction details that help confirm authenticity and establish the period of manufacture. When in doubt, consult a specialist militaria dealer or auction house with experience in British military insignia.
Displaying the Royal Artillery Cap Badge
Museum-style display frames incorporating UV-protective acrylic or conservation-grade glazing and acid-free mounting materials offer the best protection for displayed badges. Badges should be kept in a stable environment, away from direct sunlight and significant fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Original period badges should always be handled with clean cotton gloves to prevent damage from the oils and acids present in human skin.
Many collectors choose to display their Royal Artillery badge alongside service medals, photographs and other memorabilia, creating a comprehensive tribute to an individual's military service. Precision Military Emblems produces dedicated Royal Artillery heritage display frames purpose-built to present the Royal Artillery emblem alongside medals and service photographs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the elements of the Royal Artillery cap badge?
The Royal Artillery cap badge consists of three principal elements: a field gun at the centre, a Royal Crown surmounting the design, and two mottos — Ubique (Everywhere) and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt (Where Right and Glory Lead). Together these elements represent the regiment's specialist role, its loyalty to the Sovereign, and the values of duty and honour that have guided it throughout its history.
What does Ubique mean?
Ubique is a Latin word meaning Everywhere. It was granted to the Royal Artillery by King William IV in 1832 as a formal battle honour, in recognition of the regiment's service in virtually every theatre in which the British Army had fought. The Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers are the only two corps in the British Army to hold this distinction.
What does Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt mean?
Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt is a Latin phrase meaning Where Right and Glory Lead. It is the Royal Artillery's regimental motto, reflecting the regiment's commitment to duty, honour and service.
When was the Royal Artillery established?
The Royal Regiment of Artillery was formally established by Royal Warrant on 26 May 1716. It has served continuously since that date, making it one of the oldest continuously serving artillery formations in the British Army.
What is the difference between the King's Crown and Queen's Crown versions?
Badges produced during the reigns of King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and King Charles III are known to collectors and veterans as King's Crown badges — heraldically, the Tudor Crown. Badges produced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022) are known as Queen's Crown badges; heraldically, St Edward's Crown, a more rounded, cushion-shaped form that is visibly distinct from the Tudor Crown. The current badge, introduced following the accession of King Charles III in 2022, returns to the Tudor Crown.
Is the Royal Artillery cap badge rare?
Queen's Crown badges (1952–2022) are relatively available to collectors. King's Crown badges from the George V and George VI eras are considerably rarer and particularly sought after. Victorian-era badges are among the rarest and most historically significant examples. Officers' badges in silver or silver plate are also scarce and command a premium at specialist militaria auctions.
How can I tell if a Royal Artillery cap badge is genuine?
Key indicators of a genuine period badge include appropriate wear patterns consistent with actual use, period-correct construction methods, correct weight and metal composition, and maker's marks from recognised manufacturers such as J.R. Gaunt & Son or Firmin & Sons. The form of the Royal Crown helps establish the period of manufacture. Provenance documentation significantly enhances both authenticity and value. When in doubt, consult a specialist militaria dealer or the Royal Artillery Museum.
The Royal Artillery's Enduring Legacy
The Royal Regiment of Artillery has served the British Army for more than three centuries, from the battlefields of Marlborough's campaigns to the mountains of Afghanistan. Its cap badge — bearing the field gun of its trade, the Crown of loyalty, and the mottos of universal service and righteous purpose — is a piece of British military insignia with a genuinely unique distinction: the only regiment, alongside the Royal Engineers, to carry Ubique as its battle honour.
For veterans of the regiment, it is a permanent reminder of their service and their comrades. For collectors, it is one of the most distinctive and immediately recognisable pieces of British military insignia available. For all who encounter it, it is a testament to the men and women who have served under the motto Ubique — everywhere — for more than three hundred years.
Further Reading
For those wishing to explore the history of the Royal Artillery and its cap badge in greater depth, the following authoritative sources provide reliable and detailed information.
- Royal Artillery — British Army — The official British Army page for the Royal Regiment of Artillery.
- The Gunners — Royal Artillery Association — The official website of the Royal Artillery Association, supporting Gunner veterans and preserving the regiment's heritage.
- Royal Artillery Museum — The official heritage organisation responsible for preserving the Royal Regiment of Artillery's history, collections and material culture.
- Royal Artillery Historical Society — Promotes the study of Royal Artillery history through lectures, publications and battlefield tours.
- National Army Museum — Authoritative collections and research resources covering the history of the British Army, including the Royal Artillery.
- Imperial War Museums — Comprehensive collections and research resources covering the First and Second World Wars.
- The National Archives — Primary source documents including war diaries and regimental papers relating to the Royal Artillery.
Officially Licensed Royal Artillery Emblems & Heritage Displays
Precision Military Emblems produces officially licensed Royal Artillery cap badges and heritage display frames under official MOD licence. The article covers both the Queen's Crown and King's Crown patterns, and the corresponding current products are:
- Royal Regiment of Artillery Queen's Crown Cap Badge
- Royal Regiment of Artillery King's Crown Cap Badge
- Royal Regiment of Artillery Queen's Crown Cap Badge Display Frame
- Royal Regiment of Artillery King's Crown Cap Badge Display Frame
About Precision Military Emblems
Precision Military Emblems is a specialist producer of officially licensed British military emblems and museum-style heritage displays, holding official Ministry of Defence licences for a growing range of British Army regiments and corps. Every product is the result of the same depth of historical research that underpins this article series.