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Feather in your bonnet

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  • 16th April 13, 01:33 PM
    macwilkin
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
    I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

    So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

    Ask any former member of the King's Own Scottish Borderers regiment; they wore one behind their famous "dog and bonnet" badge for years:

    http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk...entity-1-91594

    T.
  • 16th April 13, 01:39 PM
    creagdhubh
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
    I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

    So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

    My guess would be purely for decoration/ornamentation (as is the case with many aspects of Highland dress and Highland Regimental dress), but used in a regulated/traditional sense by many Scottish Regiments in the past and by the Royal Regiment of Scotland today. In No. 1 and No. 2 pattern dress, all battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland wear Blackcock tail feathers attached to the Glengarry in a tradition taken from the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers.

    Cheers,
  • 16th April 13, 01:41 PM
    creagdhubh
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by cajunscot View Post
    Ask any former member of the King's Own Scottish Borderers regiment; they wore one behind their famous "dog and bonnet" badge for years:

    http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk...entity-1-91594

    T.

    ***, Todd.

    A Regimental tradition.
  • 16th April 13, 02:21 PM
    David Thorpe
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by yodofizzy View Post
    The man on the left only has one feather, so I would assume he is from an Armigerous clan.

    Not necessarily. He is a Scottish Armiger, but he may or may not be of an armigerous clan.
  • 16th April 13, 02:58 PM
    Downunder Kilt
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by David Thorpe View Post
    Not necessarily. He is a Scottish Armiger, but he may or may not be of an armigerous clan.

    Quite possibly a member of the MacLaren clan as the other person in the photo is Donald MacLaren, Current Chief of Clan MacLaren
  • 17th April 13, 05:50 AM
    JohntheBiker
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
    I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

    So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

    There are Canadian highland regiments that, at one time, had this style of ornamentation as part of their headgear (I've seen pictures of pipers in the 48th Highlanders from the 50's/60's wearing a balmoral with blackcock feathers). At some point seems to have been replaced by feather bonnets.
  • 17th April 13, 05:57 AM
    cessna152towser
    Apart from the rules which apply within Scotland regarding wearing of eagle feathers, anyone can wear any feathers they want, though in my opinion, people who wear five or even seven feathers in the bonnets usually look rather silly.
    Although I am a Scottish Armiger I have never worn a feather in my bonnet, though my cap badge incorporates a small imitation feather in silver.
  • 17th April 13, 06:00 AM
    creagdhubh
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Downunder Kilt View Post
    Quite possibly a member of the MacLaren clan as the other person in the photo is Donald MacLaren, Current Chief of Clan MacLaren

    Precisely.
  • 17th April 13, 06:05 AM
    OC Richard
    I have hundreds of old photos of men in Highland dress and the wearing of feathers of various types was rather common. I doubt if these people were following any rules.

    The pipers of the Cameron Highlanders have always worn a single eagle feather in their glengarry; this has been perpetuated by the piper of the Queens Own Highlanders, The Highlanders, and now The Royal Regiment of Scotland

    http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u...er/qohbook.jpg

    (Note that the book is titled The Queens Own Highlanders but the photo is of a piper of The Highlanders: different sporran, plaid brooch, dirk, and bagcover.)
  • 17th April 13, 06:45 AM
    JohntheBiker
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JohntheBiker View Post
    There are Canadian highland regiments that, at one time, had this style of ornamentation as part of their headgear (I've seen pictures of pipers in the 48th Highlanders from the 50's/60's wearing a balmoral with blackcock feathers). At some point seems to have been replaced by feather bonnets.

    Correction, said balmoral, meant glengarry.

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