Epaulettes and cuff links

[Sir Didymous]

I've been browsing highland attire websites other than my usual selection and found a couple things that I either have never seen before, or simply never noticed. One thing being tartan epaulette covers, and the other being tartan cuff links. Has anyone ever came across these before? Do they have any traditional merit, or are they just another way to sell more tartan? Seems to me that both would be interesting ways to use up tartan scraps. I like the idea of the cuff links, but I'm not so sure on the epaulettes.

[unixken]

I've never seen tartan epaulette covers (they would remind me too much of military shoulder boards), but for every one of my good wool kilts, I bought a matching set of tartan cufflinks made from scraps of the fabric. Even if I don't wear the kilt, they provide a great accent for my nice French-cuffed dress shirts.

[OC Richard]

Do you mean 'rank slides'?

They've long been used in the British army.

These come up on Ebay from time to time, but I don't know if such were ever actually worn in the army



They usually are plain like this



or camo like this



I can't find a decent photo, but the Cameron Highlanders in North Africa in WWII, in shirtsleeve order, often wore slides which had a square of Cameron of Erracht tartan, and the HD badge/patch. It's odd because these sometimes were worn sewn onto the upper sleeve, sometimes worn on a slide on the epaulette, oftentimes seen worn both ways in the same photo.

[Kilted Cole]

I'm not sure on the traditional merit side of the issue... but I do own a sett of tartan cufflinks from the 30's I believe. I bought them because they go well with my Chattan tartan kilt in WoB colors. And I like Cufflinks. Personal taste.

[theborderer]

Rank slides such as illustrated are worn by the British Army when in Shirt Sleeve Order. I can immagine the Pipe Major of either The Highlanders or the now Royal Regiment of Scotland wearing the tartan slides and his rank on a leather band on the right wrist (WO I or WO II)

[unixken]

Re, the "rank slides" (or "shoulder boards"). Yes, that is exactly what I was referring to. In the active duty US Coast Guard, commissioned and warrant officers wear them, and they have gold bars and insignia. In the Auxiliary, they are similar, but with silver bars and insignia.

[EDIT]: I've never seen tartan boards/slides before. That's different. (The USCG and USCGAux's have a field of solid blue.)

[imrichmond]

Tartan épaulettes or shoulder boards have been popular with some pipe bands, mostly in years past, although I have seen a band wearing them as recently as three or four years ago. I always thought that they were a rather unnecessary affectation. Fortunately, now that most pipe bands seem to have adopted the standard argyle vest as part of their uniform, the popularity of épaulettes of all types has been on the wane simply because the vest mostly obscures them.

[OC Richard]

Just to make the terminology clear, epaulettes (or 'shoulder straps') are straps on British military shirts and jackets which are sewn into the shoulder seam on one end, and held with a button on the other end. Sometimes I've seen, on the British tropical khaki shirts, shoulder straps sort of like German ones, where they're a separate thing (with top and bottom) which slips through a narrow cloth loop at the shoulder seam.

Rank slides are tubes of cloth which are slid over the epaulettes.

Rank slides wouldn't be called 'shoulder boards' because rank slides aren't stiff and boardlike. They're simply cloth.

The WWII slides I'm talking about, which I still can't find a decent closeup photo of, are plain khaki cloth, and for the Cameron Highlanders had a square of Cameron of Erracht tartan sewn on, and a blue HD (Highland Division) square patch sewn on. The puzzling things are the photos which appear to show an extra epaulette extending down from the shoulder seam on some of the tropical khaki shirts, the epaulette bearing one of these slides.

[Elf]

Tartan épaulettes or shoulder boards have been popular with some pipe bands, mostly in years past, although I have seen a band wearing them as recently as three or four years ago. I always thought that they were a rather unnecessary affectation. Fortunately, now that most pipe bands seem to have adopted the standard argyle vest as part of their uniform, the popularity of épaulettes of all types has been on the wane simply because the vest mostly obscures them.

I must agree. A couple years ago, I made a pair of slides using scraps from my kilt. I was influenced by the pipe bands, but used them on my motorcycle jacket. I also wear a reflective vest and as stated found that no one ever saw them and the slides now are packed away. In interest of the original post, I repeat the photo:

[Sir Didymous]

Though I really can't envision them looking good on civilian kilted dress, the idea of using them on a motorcycle jacket may appeal to some friends I know.