Tam 'O Shanter Scottish Rifles

[geluveld]

Last week I was able to buy a Tam 'o Shanter, without a badge fitted.

I have tried all my Scottish badges and Canadian Highland related badges on it.

And the only one that fitted in the holes (and exactly, spot on, in the holes ) was the Scottish Rifles badge.

So now my questions are:

Would the Scottish Rifles had a tartan backing behind the badge?

If so, what tartan would that have been for a regular soldier of the Great War era?

Thanks very much for any help

Cheers

Ramses

[FROGSMILE]

Last week I was able to buy a Tam 'o Shanter, without a badge fitted.

I have tried all my Scottish badges and Canadian Highland related badges on it.

And the only one that fitted in the holes (and exactly, spot on, in the holes ) was the Scottish Rifles badge.

So now my questions are:

Would the Scottish Rifles had a tartan backing behind the badge?

If so, what tartan would that have been for a regular soldier of the Great War era?

Thanks very much for any help

Cheers

Ramses

Hello Ramses.

I looked at this with a fellow enthusiast earlier this year. The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) were one of several regiments who did not wear a bonnet in the period before WW1. However, once the ToS bonnet was found to be a practical head dress in the trenches they began to wear it along with all the other regiments. Certainly in the early years of wearing this head dress they did not wear a tartan patch behind the cap badge. When they did start to wear a tartan patch it was one of Douglas tartan, although even as late as WW2 it is common to see the bonnet worn without tartan patches. The glengarry was always the preferred 'smart' head dress when out of the line for this regiment.

[geluveld]

thanks very much for this info.

The picture of the Cameronian you have attached shows the ToS spot-on as I have mine now. The badge sits in exactly the same manner, without forcing/bending/... it.

This also means that I don't have to apply any other things to the cap, as I'm not to keen on 'adding' items to a genuine piece of equipment/clothing.

When the lighting is better (during day-time thus) I will take a picture of the ToS to compare it with the cap in the picture.

Help is very much appreciated

[FROGSMILE]

thanks very much for this info.

The picture of the Cameronian you have attached shows the ToS spot-on as I have mine now. The badge sits in exactly the same manner, without forcing/bending/... it.

This also means that I don't have to apply any other things to the cap, as I'm not to keen on 'adding' items to a genuine piece of equipment/clothing.

When the lighting is better (during day-time thus) I will take a picture of the ToS to compare it with the cap in the picture.

Help is very much appreciated

I am always glad to be of help. The most common photos of this regiment show the glengarry invariably worn when out of the line.