Nice Balmorals

[PiobBear]

Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral, and kudo's for not getting a common black one; I like rifle green.

And when you add a badge and hackle they look really good!

If you're thinking of a feather hackle, you might want to carefully consider that "Hackles are generally awarded to regiments for battle honours or a special reason. Serious consideration and research should be given prior to being worn by a civilian..." (drummajor.net). For instance, the red hackle was awarded to the Black Watch as a battle honor commemorating their bravery on 4 January 1795, where during a rear guard action before Guildermalson, Holland, French cavalry routed the British picket line, capturing two field pieces. The 42nd Regiment immediately charged and retook the guns, dragging the cannon back to British lines by hand under heavy fire.
The Canadian Royal Highland Regiment was awarded their red hackle following the strategic victory at Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917 where the Canadian Expeditionary Force had captured more ground, more prisoners and more guns than any previous British offensive in two-and-a-half years of war, one of the most complete and decisive engagements of the First World War and the greatest Allied victory up to that time.
My band wears hackles as part of their uniform, but I choose not to wear one when I'm on my own. I simply don't feel that I've earned the right.

[macwilkin]

Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral, and kudo's for not getting a common black one; I like rifle green.

If you're thinking of a feather hackle, you might want to carefully consider that "Hackles are generally awarded to regiments for battle honours or a special reason. Serious consideration and research should be given prior to being worn by a civilian..." (drummajor.net). For instance, the red hackle was awarded to the Black Watch as a battle honor commemorating their bravery on 4 January 1795, where during a rear guard action before Guildermalson, Holland, French cavalry routed the British picket line, capturing two field pieces. The 42nd Regiment immediately charged and retook the guns, dragging the cannon back to British lines by hand under heavy fire.
The Canadian Royal Highland Regiment was awarded their red hackle following the strategic victory at Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917 where the Canadian Expeditionary Force had captured more ground, more prisoners and more guns than any previous British offensive in two-and-a-half years of war, one of the most complete and decisive engagements of the First World War and the greatest Allied victory up to that time.
My band wears hackles as part of their uniform, but I choose not to wear one when I'm on my own. I simply don't feel that I've earned the right.

Excellent point, Piobear. Hackles really are part of a uniform, and as you have pointed out, a particular colour of hackle, such as the Black Watch's red vulture feather or the Highlander's blue hackle, has a lot of powerful symbolism behind it.

The same could also be said for wearing any type of feather in general, since feathers behind a badge usually denote an armiger (one who bears a coat-of-arms granted by a heraldic authority) or a Chief of a Clan.

I think it's best to keep hackles to uniform kit, INMHO.

Cheers,

Todd

[McClef]

Whilst not wishing in any way to diminish the deserved military honours with which the hackle may be associated, there are many military items that are now commonly worn by civilians and providing they are worn with respect I see no reason why the hackle should be any different.

Of course it's down to individual choice etc but it really helps to set off a Balmoral or a Glengarry.

I wear mine with pride.

[An t-Ileach]

[QUOTE=PiobBear;298751]Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral, and kudo's for not getting a common black one; I like rifle green...

As an old Light Infantryman I must concur: Rifle Green is the way to go.

[Nanook]

Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral,

Made in Pakistan and not quite to the same standard as those made in Scotland by the MOD contractors. There are vast differences and one should not compare them on price. Materials are different, design is different and workmanship is different. They also have different goals. MOD Balmoral bonnets are quite heavy-duty.
Beyond the comparison of products I do think one should support the Scottish and Irish cottage industries. The industry is not doing to well as they can't compete with slave labour from China and even in the niche markets the observation that the makers in Pakistan "export 80% of their products directly to the UK" ( http://www.glengarryhats.com/about.htm ) does not do well for its survival. We are looking at bonnets, sporrans and kilts. The Scottish companies are really quite small and many are family businesses. Leather goods maybe larger? How many sporran companies do you think are still in operation? And the "big ones" like Nicoll Bros or Janet Eagleton or William Scott? All really tiny shops. How many sporran makers are there in all of Scotland?

I vote with my purchases for fair trade and also to keep traditional companies going. Sure a lot of shops in Scotland and Ireland sell imports, often even as native products, but that's no excuse.

If you're thinking of a feather hackle, you might want to carefully consider that "Hackles are generally awarded to regiments for battle honours or a special reason.

Feathers are a long standing symbol of battle and not just among the Scots but throughout Europe and well into WW-II. When we see feathers in other styles of caps do we think of war? When we look, however, today at a Tirol hat with a feather we don't think war anymore do we? If one is, however, so worried about the language of hackles taken out of context as a fashion thing in civilian garb then what is your position on dicing? And, of course, that's only the start of where we'd need to look to remain careful and correct. I, personally, see less of a problem with a hackle taken out of context than dicing. Badges I see as "fan ware" and hackles as somewhere in between.

[McClef]

The danger of sticking to perceived is that it would considerably limit the choices of most of us about what we can wear.

Whatever we choose is bound to rub somebody or other up the wrong way :rolleyes: