Rhodesia

The Republic of Rhodesia came into being on 11 November 1965 following a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. The nation was originally home to the Shona Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which ruled from 1220 to 1450, and was later replaced by the Kingdom of Mutapa, which fell into decline after a series of wars with Portugal in the 16th century. The Zulu-speaking Ndebele fought their way into the Transvaal region of South Africa in 1836, but were driven out by the local Boers and moved into the region that would become Rhodesia, dominating the Shona in the process.

In the 1880s, the British South Africa Company under Cecil Rhodes obtained a concession for mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele, which in turn landed him a royal charter from the United Kingdom over the lands of both the Ndebele and the Shona.

• Rhodesian brushstroke pattern. Introduced around 1965-66. Zimbabwe uses the same pattern, but where the original Rhodesian uniforms were printed green over brown the Zimbabwian ones are printed brown over green.