Pith Helmets

[BobsYourUncle]

The colours in Egypt between the wars:

[Mike_Oettle]

Thank you, Bob. A most interesting collection of archival pictures.
The privates in No 1 dress at Poona (Puneh) in 1904 look particularly stiff with their waxed moustaches!
Incidentally the printed caption is correct in referring to Cape Town (two words).
And I should point out that while the Raj referred to solar topees for a long time, the derivation of the first word is from a Hindi word for pith, and it is properly spelt without the R – sola topi. (Topi, if I recall correctly, means “hat”.)
Regards,
Mike

[Jock Scot]

Topee/Topi aka "Bombay Bowler". As in pith helmet.

[BobsYourUncle]

Thank you, Bob. A most interesting collection of archival pictures.
The privates in No 1 dress at Poona (Puneh) in 1904 look particularly stiff with their waxed moustaches!
Incidentally the printed caption is correct in referring to Cape Town (two words).
And I should point out that while the Raj referred to solar topees for a long time, the derivation of the first word is from a Hindi word for pith, and it is properly spelt without the R – sola topi. (Topi, if I recall correctly, means “hat”.)
Regards,
Mike

I defer to your obviously greater knowledge on these points, and while not an excuse or a "passing of the buck", I used the spelling of the words that appears in the text I quoted...so I may have repeated their error and/or cultural solecism...no offense meant.

[SlackerDrummer]

This is a photo of Kit Layout for Inspection, 1926, A&SH p. 56. This clearly shows the tartan badge backing and white hackle on the pith helmet, referred to in the text as a Solar Topee. This is one of the best views of the way the badge backing and hackle were affixed.

Maybe it makes a difference to have the book in front of you, but I don't see any tartan - only the same dicing as on the Glengarry.

[BobsYourUncle]

Maybe it makes a difference to have the book in front of you, but I don't see any tartan - only the same dicing as on the Glengarry.

The dicing is on a square/rectangle of cloth, what I have referred to as a "badge backing". Some of the square/rectangle of cloth is visible between the dicing and the hackle. That square of cloth is tartan, in the government sett, or "Black Watch" tartan, matching the kilt worn by the A&SH. The same kind of tartan "badge backing" was worn behind the A&SH cap badge on headgear whereon a cap badge was worn. In the photo here online, the tartan does not appear to be very visible, and looks like one dark tone.

Here is a photo from The British Tommy in North West Europe, 1944-1945, by Jean Bouchery, p. 28, showing the badges and tartan backing of several of the Scottish Regiments. The A&SH badge is in the bottom row, and you can see that the tartan badge backing is in the Government Sett:



Here's how the badge backing looks on a "modern" A&SH TOS:



Hope that helps.

Cheers!

[Downunder Kilt]

Great photos BobsYourUncle, thanks for the research and putting them up here

[BobsYourUncle]

Great photos BobsYourUncle, thanks for the research and putting them up here

Thank you for your kind words. In our living history group, we portray the 7th Battalion Argylls as they fought in World War II, from 1939 to 1946. Our group's website is here: http://home.roadrunner.com/~argyllsutherland/index.html

This sort of research is what we like to do, and is part of our effort to honor the service of the men of the regiment, partly by trying to be as accurate as we can in our portrayal. Thanks again!

[Biathlonman]

This is great stuff - you've pulled together exactly the right material here. The double dice - the swinging six - the A&S Highlanders had a lot of identity and still retain some in the new RHRofS.

Have to wonder how the badger head sporrans stood up to the heat bugs and dust of Egypt in the 1930s...

[BobsYourUncle]

This is great stuff - you've pulled together exactly the right material here. The double dice - the swinging six - the A&S Highlanders had a lot of identity and still retain some in the new RHRofS.

Have to wonder how the badger head sporrans stood up to the heat bugs and dust of Egypt in the 1930s...

I have to think that both the badger AND the swingin' six worn by Other Ranks were magnets for pests and dust. Keeping them in order had to be a major headache.

In June our group portrays the 7th Bn as they fought in the desert of North Africa, up to and after El Alamein. We do this at the airfield in Reading Pennsylvania, as part of the Reading Air Show. Central Pennsylvania cannot be anywhere near as hot as the desert in North Africa, yet we live on and next to the asphalt runways, and in the heat of the day it seems to us that we must be approaching those conditions--temperatures reach over 100 degrees F. We only have to do that for three days, we are not being shot at or bombarded, and our relative comfort and safety aside, I can tell you that wearing 22 oz military weight kilts and hair sporrans brings to mind the saying about Mad Dogs and Englishmen...

I really don't know how they wore wool tunics and battledress, kilts and sporrans in the desert. I would die from the heat alone, the Germans wouldn't need to do anything...