I Certainly Missed the Action On “That Thread !!

[Lachlan09]

I couldn’t help notice a penalty-Box thread about berets. I’m Scottish, as those here who know me, are aware.

I feel things get too precious sometimes. I’ve never worn any sort of hat with my kilt, but that’s my choice. I’m from a generation which didn’t wear hats, mainly because it messed up my blow-dried hair !!. However, for me, anyone who wants to wear any form of headgear is just fine by me. Some perhaps look odd when you’re used to seeing certain types of hat, but why not ? Must it always look traditional ? Is there no room for sartorial elbow-room ? Wear a beret ? Go for it !!

As regards the history of berets, I think you’ll find that the main form of beret originated with the Basques, however 18th Century French Corsican infantry wore wide berets with a tassel on the top. The Légion Étrangère (Légion du Papa) adopted a wide red Spanish Basque beret when seconded to the Spanish Queen’s Royal forces during the Carlist War of 1835-37. Of course, the large Beret Basquaise is most closely associated with the Chasseurs Alpins and Infanterie Alpine from the 1880’s onward.

A small, close- fitting black beret was worn by French tank troops during WW1, its size was handy in an enclosed space and the colour disguised dirty marks from hands and engines. French fortress troops in the Maginot Line adopted a khaki beret before WW2, again for practical reasons. The Démi Brigade de la Légion Étrangère adopted a reasonably close-fitting khaki beret in 1940 for the Norwegian Campaign. Many of those same Légionnaires continued to wear it (alongside those in the Képi Blanc) with the Fighting Free French forces in the British 8th Army fighting against Rommel.
It should also be noted that the German Panzertruppen wore a large black beret worn over a crash-helmet before and during the early part of the war.

Meanwhile, the British copied the French and in 1923 adopted a mid-sized black beret for the Royal Tank Corps(later Royal Tank Regiment). It was later adopted by the Royal Armoured Corps just prior to WW2. The 11th Hussars also adopted a brown and maroon beret-like cap. In 1942, Britain’s developing airborne troops adopted a maroon beret to give a unified “corporate” appearance to a previously maverick-dressed force and also a much handier headgear for Airborne troops than forage caps or peaked caps. The maroon colour derived from the maroon/light blue Pegasus/Belleraphon Airborne device/arm patch designed by Maj Gen “Boy” Browning’s wife – Daphne Du Maurier. The “Red Devils” maroon para beret soon became iconic, as it still is today, copied by many countries including Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and the USA. Likewise, the dark green beret adopted by Britain’s Army Commandos and Royal Marine Commandos during WW2 has also become iconic, being associated with elite forces. Then in 1944, the most infamous piece of uniform to plague the British soldier was issued in the form of the 1943 Cap GS, a beret-like sewn khaki cap looking rather like a khaki Tam O’Shanter minus the toorie. It was replaced post-war by the dark blue “Beret Basque” in 1949.

The United States military did not adopt berets during WW2 or Korea. Only before Vietnam did US Special Forces adopt it. Of course now it is widely worn by the US military in different colours.

The modern beret worn close-fitting and tilted over the eyes, was in my opinion, introduced by the French. By the late 1950’s, Légionnaires of the 1er and 2e R.E.P in the Algerian War and elsewhere were wearing their dark green "berets verts" very tight and close-fitting, with the two tightening tapes ironed and hanging down the back of the hat. This matched their “boule a zero” haircuts, the convict-like cropped all-over hair. Their Tenue Leopard camo suits were also tailored to be close fitting, to add to their panache. The RCP and RIPMa paras adopted the same look including small maroon berets. Years later, after the Falklands, the British Army cultivated a similar tailored look. But whereas the British soldiers soaked and shrank their berets to fit tight, the French berets were made already close-fitting, requiring a minimum of shrinking is desired.





US Forces wear their beret in a different manner than the British or French. Whereas the British and French have their berets generally moulded close to the head all over, the American style is a little larger and is moulded above the left eye to form a raised backing area for the badge.

Last of all, the last model of dark blue TOS worn by the Black Watch was of small size, almost beret-like. Compare that with the previous larger (1950's to early 1990's) model shown here from my collection !



Anyway young man, do whatever rings your bell – I’m on your side.

[Bugbear]

I'll stick to my straw hat.

[denmcdough]

Thanks for the great history lesson. I loved it, as I love hats. I, personally, own all sorts of head gear, and I don't mind wearing any of them with my kilt...beret, tam, Balmoral, Caubeen, etc.

[Bigkahuna]

Thank you for the interesting history lesson.

[Pleater]

In England about 1600 it was illegal not to wear a knitted hat on high days and holidays, and it had to be made in Engand.

The lower orders, soldiers and sailors seem to have worn a 'beanie' type hat, which is much like the cap comforter worn down the years by the military - a simple tube type hat, though with shaping to dome the crown.

The posh version seems to have been a flat disc with three or more rings below it, to make a beret over a brim or possibly two brims, which reduced over time.

There were knitted hats made for soldiers, sailors, babies, men and women - and not just in England, it was widespread across much of Europe, each place having its own fashion or style, or oddity, but the basic concept is a knitted hat which is felted and finally shaped according to taste, and if they had the means they were made larger and ever more highly decorated to conform to the status of the wearer.

Not to have a cap put you down amongst the lowest of the low. If you meet somone not wearing a cap you do not salute them - first because they cannot return the compliment, as in military forces today, but secondly they might not deserve the dignity of being acknowledged. However - a subordinate who removes his cap before a superior person is worthy of their notice having uncovered his head in acknowledgement of rank.

About 1600 the average Highlander seems to be depicted and described as bareheaded, with long undressed hair. Lowlanders were wearing caps, and the habit apparently extended to the Highlanders over time, with blue being a common colour, light blue for ordinary and dark blue for posh, the dye - indigo - being more expensive to get a dark blue.

The tube hat developed into a multicoloured version in Fairisle and Shetland, taking it up market, and knitted multicolour tam o shanters followed, once the mechanics of patterning over shaping were sorted out.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Lachlan09]

Like you, I’m quite interested in military hat history which, in some cases, had humble origins.

We have looked at the beret on this thread, a simple peasant cap which became popular military headgear without much dramatic change.

Two other headgears which made into the military-big time were the stocking cap and the round peaked cap (as Topol wore in Fiddler in the Roof). The stocking cap developed into at least 3 different strains of military headgear – the grenadier/bearskin cap, the modern French kepi and the forage or side cap.

The popular civilian un-peaked cap worn by Russian and German common folk was adopted by the Russian and German military as the mütze in the 18th Century. The French and British too adopted it for a time, in more stylized form. A simple step introduced a leather peak to it and it became the peaked cap worn from the first quarter onwards of the 19th Century by Russians, Prussians, French, British and Americans etc. Usually peaks were reserved for officers and peak-less for OR’s, but the US military used peaks for all ranks.

The stocking cap – Wee Willie Winkie ! presumably goes back a long time. An earlier version was the ancient Greek Phrygian cap, a version of which became the symbol of the French Revolution and Republic. The Bonnie Earl of Moray wore one in the 16th Century when he was slain by enemies. He had leapt out of his burning house in his night-gown and night-cap to escape his pursuers but the tassel on his night-cap was on fire (why does that make me smile ?) and it was like a beacon in the dark !

The short stocking cap was adopted during the early 17th Century by various infantry in the English Civil War and became the basis of grenadier and fusilier headgears. By putting a decoration turn-up around the cap and a higher decorated front-flap/panel, a suitable cap had been found for these specialist troops. Britain used embroidered cloth, while French, Prussians and Russians preferred metal. It was a short step to make the cap even smarter by decorating the tassel and bag and pulling it upward to meet the top of the front panel. The archetypal grenadier mitre-cap was born. The French already preferred to hide most of the cap in fur, a style which was also adopted by the British in the late 1760’s. The Austro-Hungarians also adopted a fur version. The Prussians and Russians kept their metal plate version right up to WW1. So that was the birth of the grenadier/fusilier cap from the stocking cap.

The stocking cap also became an off-duty item. Under the French, it received a wide turn-up with a notch in the front, the long tail with piping decoration and tassel either hanging down one side of the face or else being tucked into the turn-up and the tassel hanging over the notch. Called a Bonnet de Police, this is one of the iconic images of Napoleon’s army. Later, in 1830’s Algeria, the French tried out various lightweight caps to replace the heavy leather bell-shako. One design of “Casquette d’Afrique” of the 1840’s basically adapted the Bonnet de Police, stitched the turn-up to the cap, cut off the top and filled in the round hole with matching red cloth and added a round leather peak. It internally was stiffened with a cane frame. In 1852, a lower, unframed version of “Casquette d’Afrique” was introduced with a squarish flat leather peak called “Bec à Canard”. The cap was officially called “Bonnet de Police à Visière”, but became better known as a képi. The attached turn-up was called a turban and the top part called a flamme, as in the days of the Bonnet de Police. It has become an iconic headgear, firstly the smaller-topped tilted versions worn during the Crimean war, American Civil War, WW1 etc and since 1939, the cylindrical version we all associate with France.

Further, the stocking cap, via the Bonnet de Police, generated smaller sewn versions which, though still known as a Bonnet de Police in France until WW2 became popular in various guises as the forage cap in Britain, schiffe in Germany, bustina in Italy, schlem in Russia and garrison cap in the USA. Spain and other countries like Belgium still wear it. A British cavalry regiment wears a French-inspired version called a “tent hat”.

[mull]

Lachlan09,
Excellent post, lacking only in pictures.
As a hat fan myself I found this to be very interesting.
Thank you,
Joe

[Lachlan09]

Sorry about that - I was a bit rushed ! I'll bring up photos soon !

[thescot]

Like Denmcdough, I love hats, and I own and wear all kinds. (With the kilt, I stick to bonnets or the occasssional beret.) I found this thread as interesting as the others. Thanks for your efforts.

One comment: I like the look of the Foreign Legion's beret. It is quite distinctive and utilitarian, but it has a certain style that is unique but appealling.

[macwilkin]

Just another point: the US Rangers were given the honour of wearing the green beret of the British Commandos, complete with a swatch of Cameron of Erracht tartan, after completing training at Achnacarry in World War Two. Evidently the Pentagon would not give its blessing to the adoption of the headgear.

The French and British too adopted it for a time, in more stylized form. A simple step introduced a leather peak to it and it became the peaked cap worn from the first quarter onwards of the 19th Century by Russians, Prussians, French, British and Americans etc. Usually peaks were reserved for officers and peak-less for OR’s, but the US military used peaks for all ranks.

The US Army really didn't adopt a visor cap until the 1890s; before that, it wore the Kepi and in the 1880s, a spiked helmet similar to the Home Service helmet of the British and the German Pickelhaube. One story is told of the US military attache in Paris almost being mobbed for wearing the helment after the Franco-Prussian War.

In 1893, the Army adopted the "trolley-car conductor" hat:

http://ameddregiment.amedd.army.mil/...s/funston2.jpg

(Col. Frederick Funston, 20th Kansas Vol. Infantry, 1899)

This hat was later replaced by the M1903 hat:

http://www.gnwtc.com/mi2021.JPG

Note the light blue band and the crossed rifles of the Infantry, and the "belled" crown.

http://www.usarpac.army.mil/history2...-funston_l.jpg

(General Frederick Funston, circa 1906 -- the "man who saved San Francisco".)

Regards,

T.