A wound stripe is a distinction of dress bestowed on soldiers wounded in

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. It was typically worn on military uniform jackets.

France

In the French Army, the wound chevron or '' Insigne des blessés militaires'', was awarded beginning in 1916.

British Commonwealth

The British Army began awarding a brass "Wound Stripe" in 1916, with approval by King George V. The badge was worn vertically on the left forearm and inset between the Good Conduct stripes, fastened through the uniform cloth. Additional badges were granted for subsequent wounds. The badge was reintroduced in 1944 for the Second World War (1939–1945) and was discontinued after 1946. A yellow cloth version was introduced for use with Battle Dress. Previous awards during World War One were designated by a single red cloth stripe. British soldiers have not been awarded Wound Stripes for any conflict after World War Two. Soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force,

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry divis ...

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the N ...

, and other Empire troops followed suit in the First World War, and issued wound stripes according to British practice. It was reintroduced for the Second World War but not the Korean War. A version for the Canadian Forces uniform was developed and worn by soldiers injured on operational deployments beginning in the 1990s, including

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The

Sacrifice Medal The Sacrifice Medal (french: Médaille du sacrifice) is a decoration that was created in 2008 as a replacement for the Wound Stripe. It is awarded by the Canadian monarch, usually by the Governor General of Canada, to members of the Canadian Force ...

replaced the wound stripe for all members of the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

in 2008. The award has also been opened to soldiers of an allied force or civilians working for Canadian Forces personnel.Wound Stripes article at canadiansoldiers.com
/ref>

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The sign of injury on the Soviet uniforms 4

Soviet soldiers in the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sou ...

wore a yellow cloth stripe over the right breast to indicate wounds received in battle requiring medical attention; a red stripe indicated less serious wounds.

United States

In World War I United States soldiers received stripes called

Wound Chevron A Wound Chevron was a badge of the United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was authorized for wear on uniforms between the years of 1918 and 1932. The Wound Chevron was a gold metallic-thread chevron on an Oliv ...

s that were influenced by French practice. These looked exactly the same as Overseas Service Chevrons, but were always gold metallic-thread and worn on the lower ''right'' sleeve. (At that time the gold Overseas Chevron was worn on the lower ''left'' sleeve. Today its redesigned successor, the

Overseas Service Bar An Overseas Service Bar is an insignia worn by United States Army soldiers on the Army Service Uniform, and previously on the Army Green (Class A) and the Army Blue (Dress Blue) uniforms, that indicates the recipient has served six months overseas ...

, is worn on the right sleeve.

Service Stripe A service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the case of the United States military, service stripes are authorized for wear by enlisted personnel on the lower part of the ...

s are now worn on the left sleeve.) In 1932 the Wound Chevron was replaced by the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

, and World War I veterans could apply for the new medal.

References

{{reflist Military awards and decorations of France Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Military awards and decorations of the Soviet Union Wound decorations

France

British Commonwealth

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

United States

See also

References