Canadian Scottish beret

[natenay]

I have been proudly chosen to represent the 1st Canadian Scottish Regiment in a D-Day reenactment in June. I would like to purchase 2 berets and cap flashes for this regiment. Can any one help or point me in the right direction? I want to represent the 1st Canadian Scottish Regiment very proudly the best way I can.

natenay

 

[noneck]

Nobody in a highland regiment would call their headress a beret, it's commonly known as a Tam O' Shanter or TOS. They have evolved through the ages and are now a lot smaller than the style worn during WW2. Your best bet would be to contact the C Scot R and see if the RQ could loan you a hat, if that fails then your local surplus shop may have some. When you call tell them you are looking for the biggest brimmed TOS they have. The tartan patch you are looking for is Hunting Stewart.

Noneck

 

[acen]

It's also known as a balmoral today, but what you are looking for is a tam-o-shanter, available at www.pennys.ca brand new. Hopefully this helps

 

[natenay]

Thanks for all the help...now all I need is the cap flash for the 1st Canadian Scottish Regiment...

natenay

 

[noneck]

ACEN- Balmorals and TOS's are two different forms of headress. Balmorals are most commonly worn by officers and TOS's by OR's.

 

[acen]

I'm in the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa regiment, where the uniform headdress is the Balmoral, in khaki for ncm's, and a lighter colour for officers. In the WWII period, the TOS was worn, but gradually the switch was made to the smaller balmoral. What I pointed the inquirer to was an online store that has both, making sure to point out that he is looking for a TOS and not the balmoral pattern of today. Another thing you might want to check before ordering though is what colour tourie (pon pon for non-connaisseurs) that that regiment wears (or had worn in the period, from my understanding khaki was the norm, but check it out) Hope this helps.

 

[noneck]

Yes OR's headress is quite often and incorrectly referred to as Balmorals, when they are in fact TOS's. You are correct in referring to the difference in colours between the offcers pattern Balmoral and the darker Khaki OR's TOS.

Noneck

 

[acen]

To my knowledge, there are no more regiments in the CF that still wear the much larger TOS. Everyone has made the switch to the smaller balmoral. I am absolutely certain that this is indeed the case with my unit, The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, the SD&G Highlanders, the 48th Highlanders as well as many others. NCM's do not wear a TOS today. Historically they switched to the balmoral after having been switched to the glengarry post WWII. Most regiments still wear the glengarry with their DEU's though, mine included. Natenay, go for a WWII vintage look in the TOS. Rest assured we do not wear those today though, so it will be uniquely your distinction at the ceremony

 

[noneck]

OK ACEN I'll defer to your knowledge as a R031 Pte in the Camerons.

Noneck

 

[acen]

True, I am but a lowely private, but the facts of history do not change with ones rank. I am merely attempting to pass on the knowledge which I have accumulated through reasearch as a personal interest in my studies as a history major in university, on top of many unit history lessons insofar as our units battle history as well as lessons in unit garb and regalia throughout its history, as well as having talked to men who lived through those times. Now I do not claim to know all in regards to this, far from it, but i am merely saying what was recounted to me and that I have encountered through research. Should I be completely out of the ball park on this one, then the research which exists on paper is quite simply wrong.

 

[watusi77]

Not my area of expertise but there is a few pricey items on EBAY under Canadian Scottish Regiment
including a 2nd Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment hat badge 1920-50  sold by Ursural in Ottawa,
but it is $50!! For pic see item "180230054752" and a neat picture of a Canadian Scottish Officer WWII

http://cgi.ebay.ca/2nd-Battalion-CANADIAN-SCOTTISH-REGIMENT-badge-M-77c_W0QQitemZ180230054752QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4075QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

 

[davidk]

Acen - the RHC wear a modern version of the Tam O'Shanter. It's smaller and stiffer, but distinct from a balmoral.

 

[army outfitters]

Pennys TOS/Balmoral are made in Pakistan and are considered garbage by any unit who has purchased them. Officers balmorals are fawn in colour NOT pink as Penny has made them. Always easy to spot new officers across the parade square because they are wearing pink TOS/Balmorals. I have original British NSN'd unissued TOS/Balmorals in stock in Khaki if you need them you can contact me at www.armyoutfitters.ca

 

[acen]

HighlandIslander - I believe the devil is in the details here. The CHofO, TorScots, SDG Highlanders, 48th highlanders, all wear the same thing. Our headdress is known as a balmoral, now if another unit wishes to call it a smaller modified TOS, much ressembling a balmoral, then so be it. Much the same way a hood becomes a bonnet once we cross the pond to merry 'old. Plain and simple though, if you want to look like you were a highlander in 1945, buy a TOS. If you want to look like a highlander in 2008, buy a "balmoral". Is that something we can agree on?

 

[Zartan]

From my personal observations regarding the TOS and the balmoral, the only difference is the type of slant in wearing it. TOS are worn in a "straight" manner (both sides sloping down equivalently) whereas Balmorals tend to dip to the wearer's right.

 

[acen]

This is true, the problem being that the way people shape their headdress is up to them. Some opt for the stiff almost flat look while others (such as myself) opt for the beret style slant. None are frowned upon within the units that i know, minus the ominous "pizza hat"of new recruits, who are told to quicly go home and either get accustomed to loving their iron (for the stiff look) or to simply take a shower and "forget that your wearing it", making sure to form it afterwards so that they dont look like the proverbial bag.

 

[brihard]

Dude, the Black Watch still wear the Tams. I'm not sure if you know T-Q from our unit, but he's still got (and wears) his Tam O'Shanter from when he was out in Montreal, with our badge, tartan, and hackle. It's very distinctly different; much less material.

Add to that that our QM has Balmorals from probably 3 or 4 different shipments, and you can clearly see there are some quite different designs kicking around when four or five of us are standing in a group. A few people in the regiment wear their Balmorals pulled even on both sides, but most of them just have too much material for that to look any good, plus the cap badge ends up hanging out at a weird angle.

You are correct, however, in saying that anything still worn today is different from the WW2 era ones. Those ones were all pretty huge.

 

[davidk]

Thanks for the backup, Brihard. Our tams have a very defined edge, much less material, and an all-around stiffer feel. They also naturally slope evenly towards the front. Every time we get a new shipment they come out a bit different, and just like the Camerons' balmorals, there are different ways of wearing them - Brihard, I know you wear your balmoral like we wear our tams.

I do wish we could go back to the big old Tam O'Shanters of WWII. I was working at a unit function tonight, and was taking a brief glimpse inside the regimental museum, where I spotted a Tam with a diameter of almost 10 inches. Beautiful.

 

[brihard]

Thanks for the backup, Brihard. Our tams have a very defined edge, much less material, and an all-around stiffer feel. They also naturally slope evenly towards the front. Every time we get a new shipment they come out a bit different, and just like the Camerons' balmorals, there are different ways of wearing them - Brihard, I know you wear your balmoral like we wear our tams.

I do wish we could go back to the big old Tam O'Shanters of WWII. I was working at a unit function tonight, and was taking a brief glimpse inside the regimental museum, where I spotted a Tam with a diameter of almost 10 inches. Beautiful.

Oh, hey man- I just figured out who I'm talking to, unless I'm very mistaken. I didn't realize you'd done a user name change. How're things going lately?

I'm tending to wear mine more pulled down towards the side. I was getting sick of the material flopping so much that my cap badge was hanging off at a 45* angle.

 

[davidk]

Oh, hey man- I just figured out who I'm talking to, unless I'm very mistaken. I didn't realize you'd done a user name change. How're things going lately?

I'm tending to wear mine more pulled down towards the side. I was getting sick of the material flopping so much that my cap badge was hanging off at a 45* angle.

Yep, that's me. Things are good, but I'll be brief in the details because I'm still recovering from yesterday's mess dinner.

There's an easy way to avoid an awkward flopping cap badge...just do what we do and don't wear one!