My dad's WWII regiment (the Glaswegian regulars) used to have them on their cap peaks "to wipe the smile off an oponents face" and their lapels, not to mention having a spud with a few stuck in for good measure, and that was when they were off duty - not a joke - they were nicknamed "The Poison Dwarfs" due to their (generally) short stature but also had the (reputedly) fastest marching rate of any British Army personnel...
Edited by bad Ingrish...
