I was born and raised in Lincolnshire UK and all of that time there were two origins of the term Yellow belly for folk coming from this City one is that the EELS not FROGS here in East Anglia have Yellow Bellies, as their counterparts in other counties in the UK have Silvers Bellies.
also no 2. was that The Lincolnshire regiment Sported Yellow Waistcoats as their uniform which is probably the Correct term origin
LINK TO STAFF REPORT: What’s the origin of “yellow-bellied”? - The Straight Dope
Before the regimental system in the British army was established, armies were raised from the county yeomanry. The Lincolnshire Yeomanry had a very bright yellow waistcoat. During the American war of independence the Lincolnshire yeomanry sent forces to America and these were soon to be nicknamed “yellowbellies” in the same way that other yeomanries became known as “redcoats” or “Greenbacks” etc. Anyone who has taken the time to acquaint themselves with the Lincolnshire Regiment will know that they were formidable troops who excelled themselves in battle on the Somme and in Flanders during the Great War as well as many other campaigns e.g. Egypt (The Lincolnshire Regiment’s cap badge was a sphinx). And of course the Famouse Stand at Roukes Drift famously depicted in the film “ZULU” It has nothing at all to do with cowardice. We should be proud of our yellowbelly nickname.
Reported for grafting to other thread
bigben47, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, we’re glad you found us. Very interested additional information. That particular Staff Report was from 2001, and I wrote it back then. I’ll try to see if I can have your additional info confirmed and perhaps added, but that will take some time.
You started two different threads on the same topic, so I’ve combined them – makes life easier for our readers. Also, it’s helpful to other readers if you provide a link to the column/staff report in question when you start a thread. Keeps us on the same page and saves search time. No problem, I’ve added it for you (and so did Attack from the 3rd dimension. Anyhow, as I say, welcome!
The first three actual occurrences of “yellow belly” as a dyslogism in the OED are all explicit references to the Mexican army, ca. 1842–1850.