Shoulder scales. Scales, or epaulettes, were attached to the shoulders of uniform coats and often defined the rank of the wearer. Decorated with the British crown and other symbols, the curved brassy metal pieces denote officer rank. Epaulettes were officially introduced by 1797 . The epaulette style uniforms and insignia were modified slightly over the decades, until in 1856 Royal Navy officer insignia shifted to the use of rank sleeve stripes—a pattern which has endured to the present day. Reprinted with permission of the Royal Navy Museum. See also Special Section of By Sea, By Land book (P. 401-16).
