Fly Plaid at Burns Supper?

[figheadair]

Here's the thing I put together a while back to try to explain the somewhat confusing plaid situation.

It might be useful to add a Drummer's Plaid to this montage to show the comparison.

[OC Richard]

It might be useful to add a Drummer's Plaid to this montage to show the comparison.

That's the thing, the "drummer's plaid" is the Other Ranks plaid worn after c1800, called the "fly plaid" in some of the regulations.

When Full Dress was abolished in 1914, afterwards generally only worn by bandsmen and the Pipes & Drums, it was the drummers of the Pipes & Drums who wore them due to them being Other Ranks.

Bandsmen, that is, members of the military band (UK terminology) wore long plaids (so-called "pipers plaids") leaving the only people in the regiment, after 1914, wearing the plaids once worn by all Other Ranks the drummers of the Pipes & Drums. (When civilian pipe bands adopted military-style kit they had "pipers plaids" and "drummers plaids" not realising that both titles were misnomers, though they should have done seeing that Drum Majors generally wore Long Plaids.)

AFAIK the military "fly plaids" were the only sort of plaid not also worn in civilian Highland Dress.

The features that set them apart from "belted plaids" (worn in civilian Evening Dress, and by officers and others in the army) were less yardage, no fringe, and using ribbons (or a loop of cord) to attach to the left epaulette. ("Belted plaids" had purled fringe all around and were pinned with a brooch.)

[OC Richard]

Here are "long plaids" (generally called "pipers plaids" despite never having been the unique domain of pipers) worn by the Colonel and a senior Sergeant, neither of them pipers (left) and a "belted plaid" (sometimes erroneously called a "fly plaid") worn, by of all things, a piper! (right).



And the whole Gordon Highlanders military band, not a piper in sight, wearing Long Plaids. (Pipers can be told by their wide black leather Sword Belts and Dirk Belts.)

(The Bandmaster's sporran is amazing.)

[figheadair]

AFAIK the military "fly plaids" were the only sort of plaid not also worn in civilian Highland Dress.

The features that set them apart from "belted plaids" (worn in civilian Evening Dress, and by officers and others in the army) were less yardage, no fringe, and using ribbons (or a loop of cord) to attach to the left epaulette. ("Belted plaids" had purled fringe all around and were pinned with a brooch.)

I agree on both points.