British army officers wore blue peaked caps as early as the Crimean War to distinguish themselves from enlisted men who wore the pillbox hat. The peaked caps were widely worn on campaign during the First and Second World Wars, until the more practical beret was popularised by generals like Bernard Montgomery. After the war, officers continued to wear khaki caps as part of the Number 2 dress uniform, but by the 1990s these had been phased out in favour of the dark blue and red caps previously worn with the Number 1 dress uniform.