Unform Advice. (1 Viewer)

[Blackbob]

Hi the world.

I have some castings that I'm working on or getting painted up, and need some information re uniforms. Two questions:-

1. I have acquired 2 Ensign Miniatures of Highland Light infantry Officers pre World War 1 wearing mess dress. Needing advice re the glengarry. From images seen online the HLI appear to have worn 2 different patterns of the glengarry: - a dark blue one with the traditional chequered band with a red torrie(?), and a dark green one with no chequered band. I also don't know what coloured torrie for the green coloured glengarry.

2. The Gordon Highlanders from images seen wear two different sets in their kilt. One with 3, the other has 2 yellow vertical stripes on the kilt front. Was the different sets worn by different ranks e.g. the former by sncos ,and below the latter by commissioned and warrant officers(?). Was it something to do with the 2 regiments that were brought together in the Childers Reforms in 1881,the 75th and 92nd, with the first battalion wearing one version, and the second battalion the other?

Sorry for posting these requests, if inappropriate, and I acknowledge British Army, especially Scottish uniform history is arcane and sprinkled with myth.
Yours Aye,
Douglas

 

[Arnhemjim]

Hi the world.

I have some castings that I'm working on or getting painted up, and need some information re uniforms. Two questions:-

1. I have acquired 2 Ensign Miniatures of Highland Light infantry Officers pre World War 1 wearing mess dress. Needing advice re the glengarry. From images seen online the HLI appear to have worn 2 different patterns of the glengarry: - a dark blue one with the traditional chequered band with a red torrie(?), and a dark green one with no chequered band. I also don't know what coloured torrie for the green coloured glengarry.

2. The Gordon Highlanders from images seen wear two different sets in their kilt. One with 3, the other has 2 yellow vertical stripes on the kilt front. Was the different sets worn by different ranks e.g. the former by sncos ,and below the latter by commissioned and warrant officers(?). Was it something to do with the 2 regiments that were brought together in the Childers Reforms in 1881,the 75th and 92nd, with the first battalion wearing one version, and the second battalion the other?

Sorry for posting these requests, if inappropriate, and I acknowledge British Army, especially Scottish uniform history is arcane and sprinkled with myth.
Yours Aye,
Douglas

Hello Douglas,
Although born (mid-1930Â’s) and raised in the United States, am very proud of my Scottish ancestry. It would naturally follow that as an amateur military historian that I might have more than a passing interest in the history of the Scottish regiments of the British Army; specifically the 92[SUP]nd[/SUP] (amalgamated from the 75[SUP]th[/SUP] and 100[SUP]th[/SUP]) Gordon Highlanders. As you probably already know, the span of the regiment being 200 years from their raising in 1794 to their disbanding in 1994.

For a significant period of time it was my best understanding that the sett of the regimental kilt with it’s yellow over stripe changed some time in the late 1950’s. Up to that point in time being a center strip with two stripes on either side of the sporran, i.e. for a total of three yellow over stripes, showing to the front of the kilt. Dress Regulations available to me only stipulate kilts, trews and pantaloons, “of authorized regimental pattern”. Contemporary photographs, circa 1957, show a group of Gordon officers in No. 1 dress, but with a uniform kilt pattern, that being the modification of the sett placement to two yellow over stripes, one on each side of the sporran. However, on each side are two NCO’s with the previous tartan sett placement (older issue?). One thought being that this somehow reduced the length of tartan yardage (depending on the size of the sett) required to construct each kilt, and given a government contract for thousands of kilts, a significant reduction in the total of expensive tartan yardage required to fill the contract.

Conversely, have seen photographs of WW I vintage Gordon kilts with the two over strip variant. So who knows. You may also be interested in glancing at the following article from my blog page; http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2017/08/selected-uniforms-of-gordon-highlanders.html



Look forward to any forum member coming forth with a more definitive source of information.

SlÃ*inte Mhòr! SlÃ*inte!
Arnhem Jim
Arizona Territory
​

 

[Blackbob]

Hello Arhnemjim,
Many Thanks for your contribution. I had forgotten that another possible reason for uniform change --- cost, or trying to reduce it.
Liked your article in the bloggoshere about The Gordons. Officers definitely needed a private income to buy all the uniforms that were required.
I attended the Remembrance Sunday service in Edinburgh today. Cold bright sunny dry day and a good turnout. Sadly from a historical perspective the lack of uniformity that was very much the case with the British Army, and especially with Scottish regiments is disappearing, except amongst the veterans. The composite unform worn by all the battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Once again I suspect shows that economics played its part.

Only when wearing their Tam O Shanter in combat dress can you identify what battalion is on show and its lineage to the old regiments.​

Although said in jest, perhaps, it was remarked in the past, that if 2 officers turned up in the morning dressed identically, the junior must go and change immediately..
As you state let's see if anyone can come up with a definitive answer about the Gordon's kilt set. Meanwhile I'll go with the 3 stripe option, as my Gordon Highlander is from late in the 19th century.
Douglas aka Blackbob.