This is of course a discussion that will forever rattle on.

Phil Beer made a good post up the thread saying a Dorset version had it in blue but a more Northern rendition may be white. The white rose of Yorkshire presumably, although I would expect those who work in the butty and treacle mines to sing of the red cockade if that were the case.

Two observations here, and I sing it in the white, by the way.

Cockades of different colour and design did eventually denote regimental affiliation although we know the gist of this song to predate the national centrally controlled army. To this day, some regiments have a cockade behind a beret badge and the ribbon around peak caps and sailor hats are throwbacks to cockades. In that sense, a blue cockade denotes RAF!

White was easy and cheap to make. Blue dye that stays fast was rather expensive when recognisable versions of this song were first seeing the light of day and recruiting sergeants were handing them out to be worn with civilian clothes until call up. Another reason for white as it would stand out.