Cap peaks: indulge old Grump please

[Stoppage Drill]

Guards do what Guards do. Everybody else is wrong.

[Stoppage Drill]

Another badge unique to the Guards Depot is the "Trained Soldier" worn upper right arm, IIRC. It was cloth, a representation of the Brigade Star with "Trained Soldier" woven in. It distinguished the Guardsman who was on the depot staff from a recruit. Often known as "BRTS" (Barrack Room Trained Soldier)one would bunk in with a recruit barrack room.

Guards recruits were called "Crows" - I think it was humourously (!) derived from the more ubquitous, phonetically derived "rookie."

Sorry about multiple replies - I'm having "Edit Post" difficulties.

[Steven Broomfield]

Out of interest, I recall reading somewhere (years ago) that Harold Alexander, when a junior officer in the Irish Guards, saw a Russian guardsman and, taken by the "slashed peak" of that man's cap had the work done to his own cap. Allegedly the habit of slashing SD cap peaks in the Guards stemmed from that chance meeting (in the GW).

I am afraid I really can't remember where I read it - biography, possibly - but I repeat it for what it's worth. Certainly look at any photos of Alexander in any of his mid-GW guise onwards and you'll se he wears an SD cap with a very distinctly slashed peak.

[FROGSMILE]

Out of interest, I recall reading somewhere (years ago) that Harold Alexander, when a junior officer in the Irish Guards, saw a Russian guardsman and, taken by the "slashed peak" of that man's cap had the work done to his own cap. Allegedly the habit of slashing SD cap peaks in the Guards stemmed from that chance meeting (in the GW).

I am afraid I really can't remember where I read it - biography, possibly - but I repeat it for what it's worth. Certainly look at any photos of Alexander in any of his mid-GW guise onwards and you'll se he wears an SD cap with a very distinctly slashed peak.

I think the peak was shortened rather than pitched vertically and yes that was a feature of Russian caps at that time.

I enclose a photo of the then Colonel Alexander captured in Latvia 26/03/1920,wearing uniform of Baltic (Latvian) Landeswehr. You can see how short the peak is.

[FROGSMILE]

And Russians.

[Muerrisch]

Thanks Frogsmile,

Great examples, I hope the information is useful to Grumpy I have found it very interesting.

khaki

Certainly is: thanks to all contributors

[Stoppage Drill]

I think that there may be litle rhym or reason to some military "fashions" other than young men wanting to look "cool". Look at the variations in the way berets have been worn over the years. We used to call such things "Bolo" - you had a bolo beret, or you gave a bolo salute, or a company did bolo drill etc. "Open Order - MARCH " was less "Left Right One-Two" than "Shuffle Shuffle Bangbang" and we thought we were behaving like old soldiers. You still see it - the left foot which miraculously slides across the gravel as the right one descends to be driven in. Any Guardsman will know what I mean.

I was never really sure where "bolo" came from until my interest in pistols developed; a model of Mauser which was used by the Russians was called the Bolo Mauser by the Germans, this being a typical German linguistic corruption - for Bolshevik. Maybe the unruly hats and salutes were seen as being recklessly antidisciplinarian, hence "Bolshevik" hence "Bolshy" (too common for the Guards)hence "bolo".

There's a book in this, Grumpy !

[auchonvillerssomme]

Wasn't only Guards who slashed their peaks, it said a lot about the Staff who did (none of it good) I'm the unfortunate Corporal sat next to him.

[Muerrisch]

I think that there may be litle rhym or reason to some military "fashions" other than young men wanting to look "cool". Look at the variations in the way berets have been worn over the years. We used to call such things "Bolo" - you had a bolo beret, or you gave a bolo salute, or a company did bolo drill etc. "Open Order - MARCH " was less "Left Right One-Two" than "Shuffle Shuffle Bangbang" and we thought we were behaving like old soldiers. You still see it - the left foot which miraculously slides across the gravel as the right one descends to be driven in. Any Guardsman will know what I mean.

I was never really sure where "bolo" came from until my interest in pistols developed; a model of Mauser which was used by the Russians was called the Bolo Mauser by the Germans, this being a typical German linguistic corruption - for Bolshevik. Maybe the unruly hats and salutes were seen as being recklessly antidisciplinarian, hence "Bolshevik" hence "Bolshy" (too common for the Guards)hence "bolo".

There's a book in this, Grumpy !

Thank you but my wife has made me swear NEVER again to write a book, six she says is enough for her to suffer the "inspiration, incubation, gestation, birth pangs and post-publishing depression".

Articles, apparently, are still just about permissible.

[Stoppage Drill]

I know, but when you identify the subject, find that there is an unexpected surge of interest, research it, come up with some original findings . . . . and then some other bouger finds out and writes about it . . . there's no frustration quite like it !

Divorce/ducking stool/scolds bridle might be options ?

[FROGSMILE]

I think that there may be litle rhym or reason to some military "fashions" other than young men wanting to look "cool". Look at the variations in the way berets have been worn over the years. We used to call such things "Bolo" - you had a bolo beret, or you gave a bolo salute, or a company did bolo drill etc. "Open Order - MARCH " was less "Left Right One-Two" than "Shuffle Shuffle Bangbang" and we thought we were behaving like old soldiers. You still see it - the left foot which miraculously slides across the gravel as the right one descends to be driven in. Any Guardsman will know what I mean.

I was never really sure where "bolo" came from until my interest in pistols developed; a model of Mauser which was used by the Russians was called the Bolo Mauser by the Germans, this being a typical German linguistic corruption - for Bolshevik. Maybe the unruly hats and salutes were seen as being recklessly antidisciplinarian, hence "Bolshevik" hence "Bolshy" (too common for the Guards)hence "bolo".

There's a book in this, Grumpy !

Personally I think there is invariably a reason and it is often found in history. Hence the so-called 'golden thread' that is to to be found in all regiments and that is used by the powers that be to try and retain a link between the old and the new at the time of amalgamations and retrenchment.