Battledress was issued widely beginning in 1939 in the British Army (as well as the Canadian Army, who produced their own, almost identical, copy of Battledress after the outbreak of war), though shortages meant that some units of the British Expeditionary Force went to France in Service Dress. Some officers initially refused to wear Battledress themselves, contrary to orders. One Guards major declared: "I don't mind dying for my country but I'm not going to die dressed like a third-rate chauffeur".