Hackle

Last updated

The hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments. [1]

Contents

In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries, the hackle is worn by some infantry regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish origins.

The modern hackle has its origins in a much longer plume, originally referred to by its Scots name, heckle, which was commonly attached to the feather bonnet worn by Highland regiments (now usually only worn by drummers, pipers and bandsmen). The smaller version originated in a regimental emblem adopted by the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, to be worn in the sun helmet issued in hot-weather postings from the 1870s. [2]

British Army

Hackle colours in British fusilier regiments

Soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Celle Abschied Rede.jpg
Soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Modern fusiliers

A Fusilier of the Royal Welsh Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Take Part in Exercise Askari Thunder in Kenya, Africa MOD 45152624.jpg
A Fusilier of the Royal Welsh

In the modern British Army, there is a single regiment of fusiliers, plus a battalion of a large regiment. Hackle colours are:

Other ranks of the Royal Welsh, the regiment that was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Wales, continue to wear the white hackle of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

Historic fusilier regiments

There were several other fusilier regiments which have been amalgamated and no longer exist. The hackle colours worn were as follows:

Non-fusilier regiments

Soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment Soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment on Parade MOD 45149306.jpg
Soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment
A Coldstream guardsman with an Army standard Coldstream guardsman with military flag on Horseguards Parade.jpg
A Coldstream guardsman with an Army standard

Non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle are:

Royal Regiment of Scotland

Following the amalgamation of the regiments of the Scottish Division to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006, the following hackles are being worn by the regiment's constituent battalions:

Whilst the white hackle of 2 SCOTS, red hackle of 3 SCOTS and blue hackle of 4 SCOTS have a known ancestry, the origin of 1 SCOTS black hackle and 5 SCOTS green hackle are not clear and have no apparent precedent. It may be that the black hackle of 1 SCOTS simulates the black-cock tail feathers originally worn in the 1904 pattern Kilmarnock Bonnet and latterly in the regimental Glengarry Cap by the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, who merged in August 2006 to form 1 SCOTS. Alternatively, it may be a sympathetic gesture to a former Lowland regiment, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), who went into 'suspended animation' in 1968 (and later disbanded), who wore a black hackle in their rifle green dress Balmoral. The adoption of the green hackle now being worn by the Argylls battalion (5 SCOTS) is no doubt a continuation of that regiment's association with the colour green, most prominent in the hue of their regimental kilts and stripes on their regimental association ties. (It is, however, worthy of note that in the 19th century, all line regiments of the British Army used to designate their "light company" with a green hackle.) [3] The Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland does not wear the hackle. However, the Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Territorial Army) continues to wear the red hackle with the Tam o' Shanter. Tradition holds that the black hackle originated as a Scottish tradition of wearing a black feather in your hat to signify you have an ongoing quarrel with someone.[ citation needed ]

Other regiments

Former non-fusilier regiments, now amalgamated, which also wore the hackle were:

Royal Navy

Other armies

Australian Army

There are five Army Reserve Regiments with Highland Companies in the Australian Army which wear the hackle:

Canadian Army

There are several fusilier regiments in the Canadian Army which wear the hackle (the French-speaking fusilier regiments do not appear to do so):

Scottish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle include:

Irish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle (on the caubeen):

Other regiments which wear the hackle in the bearskin include:

Dutch Army

A few infantry regiments in the Dutch Army wear the hackle:

Indian Army

In the Indian Army, a few selected infantry regiments wear the hackle:

Malaysian Army

New Zealand Army

Pakistan Army

Sri Lanka Army

South African Army

Scottish- and Irish-influenced regiments which wear the hackle include:

Swedish Army

United States Army

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tam o' shanter (cap)</span> Traditional Scottish bonnet

A tam o' shanter or "tammie" is a name given to the traditional Scottish bonnet worn by men. The name derives from Tam o' Shanter, the eponymous hero of the 1790 Robert Burns poem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fusilier</span> Legacy name for certain soldiers

Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word fusil – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in contrasting ways in different countries and at different times, including soldiers guarding artillery, various elite units, ordinary line infantry and other uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Highland Fusiliers</span> Scottish infantry battalion

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)</span> Military unit

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearskin</span> Style of cap made from bearskin

A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glengarry</span> Traditional Scots headgear

The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military or civilian Highland dress, either formal or informal, as an alternative to the Balmoral bonnet or Tam o' Shanter.

The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Authorized marches of the Canadian Armed Forces</span>

The following is a list of the notable authorized marches for various organisations of the Canadian Armed Forces. The first march listed is the march most commonly performed for that organisation on parade; it is commonly referred to simply as that organisation's "march" or "march past". In addition, many organisations also have additional pieces for slow marches, marches for mounted parades, pipe marches, etc.; they are subsequently listed and footnoted as applicable.

The Essex Scottish was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army until 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish regiment</span>

A Scottish regiment is any regiment that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress. These regiments were created after the Acts of Union in 1707 between England and Scotland, either directly serving Britain during its various wars, or as part of the military establishments of Commonwealth countries. Their "Scottishness" is no longer necessarily due to recruitment in Scotland nor any proportion of members of Scottish ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the British Army</span> Military dress

The uniforms of the British Army currently exist in twelve categories ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress. Uniforms in the British Army are specific to the regiment to which a soldier belongs. Full dress presents the most differentiation between units, and there are fewer regimental distinctions between ceremonial dress, service dress, barrack dress and combat dress, though a level of regimental distinction runs throughout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Regiment of Scotland</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only current Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an individual regiment. However, three regular battalions maintain their former regimental pipes and drums to carry on the traditions of their antecedent regiments.

The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers - amalgamated just after the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. On 1 December 2021, the battalion transferred to the new Ranger Regiment as the 1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caubeen</span> Irish beret

The caubeen is an Irish beret, formerly worn by peasants. It has been adopted as the head dress of Irish regiments of Commonwealth armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balmoral bonnet</span> Traditional Scots headgear

The Balmoral bonnet is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Developed from the earlier blue bonnet, dating to at least the 16th century, it takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown. It is named after Balmoral Castle, a royal residence in Scotland. It is an alternative to the similar and related (informal) Tam o' Shanter cap and the Glengarry bonnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feather bonnet</span> Military headdress of Scottish origin

The feather bonnet is a type of military headdress used mainly by the Scottish Highland infantry regiments of the British Army from about 1763 until the outbreak of World War I. It is now mostly worn by pipers and drummers in various bands throughout the world. It is also worn in a similar fashion by regiments in various Commonwealth armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Light Infantry of Canada</span> Military unit

The Highland Light Infantry of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. In 1965, the regiment was amalgamated with The Scots Fusiliers of Canada to form The Highland Fusiliers of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regimental marches of the British Army</span>

The following is a list of the notable Regimental Marches for military regiments of the British Army. In addition, all regiments have additional pieces for slow marches, marches for mounted parades and pipe marches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland</span> Military unit

The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is one of the three official military bands of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and is based at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh. The bandsmen wear the feather bonnet with a red over white hackle and scarlet doublet in full dress uniform. In addition, there are two Territorial bands, the Highland Band and the Lowland Band, which are administered by the regiment's territorial battalions. It is also one of two line infantry bands in the Royal Corps of Army Music.

References

  1. "hackle" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Sense 2b.
  2. "Report on Ashantee, 1874". Glasgow Herald. 26 December 1895.
  3. This is illustrated in The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Osprey Men at Arms. Osprey. 1988. ISBN   0-85045-085-3.
  4. Spaan, L-Col Warren, ed. (2002). Calgary Highlanders Regimental Book. Calgary, Canada: The Calgary Highlanders Regiment.