Which Hat or Nae Hat?

[ctbuchanan]

I would agree - And the Balmoral in question - while dark green and called "special forces green" looks nothing in appearance like the actual beret worn by the them. Also the famous Green Beret always has a unit badge on it which this one does not and does not have the satin rosette. And I never wear any military badges or patches save that of my grandfather's unit in WWI on occasion, but not this one (although his regiment was absorbed by another after being decimated at the battle of Ypres). Those who know U.S. military attire would never confuse this Balmoral with the true Special Forces Beret. Perhaps a poor choice in the description by the seller - who would be better served renaming it something like forest green. The regular U.S. Army beret is black and the Ranger beret is tan - so you can see we would quickly run out of colors if we avoided them all.

[Jock Scot]

Remember that you are going to be in the UK where British military colours, traditions and feelings may run a different course.

[ctbuchanan]

I will be as sensitive as possible. My paternal grandfather served in the Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards) in WWI (he was the one at Ypres) and my Great-Uncle served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the same war. My maternal grandfather was a surgeon and Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps during WWI. My father was acting Colonel in the Royal Horse Artillery at the end of WWII and my uncle disappeared on a Royal Navy minesweeper when it was sunk in the Aegean in WWII.

I'm very careful with any references I make to military service in the U.K. and am appreciative of the advise.

[Terry Searl]

60 Terry.jpg I've been wearing a "newsboy cap" since I was, ....well a news boy.... I wear my kilts with pride because I love to wear them and I don't pretend to be a "Higlander".... even when I'm in the highlands, as a matter of fact I'm a Canadian.... of Scots /Irish decent.. I'm sorry if my hat offends any highlanders but it's my hat of choice and my head it rests on

[Father Bill]

A fawn Robert Mackie bonnet, diced or not matters not and is a personal preference.

Any good kilt maker should have balmorals for sale. Robert Mackie is probably the Rolls Royce of Balmorals and can be found in many colours and shades but "fawn" would be my choice.

I wouldn't bother about a Clan plant "badge" if I were you. It is usually worn behind your Clan badge on your bonnet. Avoiding the theatrical is best , as over doing the dressing up leaves the starry eyed spectators with a false impression of what real Highland attire is about.

I see you've mastered the photo thing. Guid an' ye!

[cessna152towser]

Normally as a civilian in Scotland I would not wear a hat with any of my kilt outfits.
I do wear a Mackie Balmoral for formal clan events, so as you are representing your clan at the tattoo, a Balmoral is probably appropriate for that occasion, but hatless is best, in my opinion, for wandering around Edinburgh during the rest of your stay.

David B if you get time during your Scottish itinerary please get in touch - I live only 55 miles from Edinburgh - happy memories of our xmarks meet up at Loon Mountain in 2010.

[48HofC]

I am pretty sure nobody in the British army is going to care if you wear a balmoral of any colour or shade. A civilian wearing a issue TOS on the other hand might raise a few eyebrows and back handed comments though as they might consider you a "Walt". The closest headdress to a balmoral in dark green worn by British forces is the caubeen worn by the IG's and RIR.

[Benning Boy]

I would agree - And the Balmoral in question - while dark green and called "special forces green" looks nothing in appearance like the actual beret worn by the them. Also the famous Green Beret always has a unit badge on it which this one does not and does not have the satin rosette.

Half a century ago the US Army Special Forces beret was always just refered to as green. When I did hear a specific shade mentioned it was Rifle Green. That was perplexing at the time, but when I later learned of the British rifle regiment wearing green it sort of made some sense, although I never really understood the connection between our snake eaters and Brit light infantry. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

There's a whole lot of basically mythology surrounding the reasons for the colors of American military berets. I wouldn't worry about wrongfully appropriating some wrong shade. The US Army hasn't worried about what colors it has appropriated.

Jack's recommended fawn Mackie bonnet is a very good one. It was largely because of his comments here over time that I bought my own fawn one. It works with everything.

[FossilHunter]

Remember that you are going to be in the UK where British military colours, traditions and feelings may run a different course.

I'm curious how far this goes though. What if a unit just happens to wear a beret in a common balmoral color?

The Australian SAS appears to wear a beret in a color very similar to fawn:



I though green was a pretty traditional color for balmorals but now I wonder how far someone is expected to go to avoid being seen as "dressing in another's uniform."

Or does this all just apply to Scottish units that actually wear balmorals, toorie and all?

[Benning Boy]

It's my understanding that British SAS wear a tan beret, as do the SAS regiments of Australia and New Zealand, and maybe Canadians, too.

Our Rangers now wear berets of the same color. They wore black ones for the longest time. An Army chief of staff decided Rangers looked sharp in their black berets and all soldiers who had completed their initial training and had moved on to their units should begin wearing black berets. That POed the Rangers, and so they started wearing "SAS" berets. They concocted some story about how they had earned the right to now wear the new color, just as they had earlier concocted some story about how they had earned the right to wear black berets. I say concocted as to my mind the myths about the colors of US Army berets don't hold up on close examination. The myths are rooted in things that supposedly happened in Britain in WW2. Why American forces need to copy Brits is beyond me. At the end of my service I wore the standardized black beret as required,, and have a Ranger connection I have heard the black beret story many times.

I sometimes wear an Army black beret without devices and no one has called me out. I also have two maroon berets that I also wear, and neither is a US Army item of uniform although they look it from a little distance.

I doubt anyone could rightly criticize someone wearing a beret in US Army colors as long as it were worn without devices. Likewise wearing a bonnet of any military color should pass muster. Put whatever you want on your head. The Martial of Dodge City, Kansas wears a Stetson with his kilt, but then he wears the fanciest pair of custom cowboy boots I've ever seen with it, too.

I'm curious how far this goes though. What if a unit just happens to wear a beret in a common balmoral color?

The Australian SAS appears to wear a beret in a color very similar to fawn:



I though green was a pretty traditional color for balmorals but now I wonder how far someone is expected to go to avoid being seen as "dressing in another's uniform."

Or does this all just apply to Scottish units that actually wear balmorals, toorie and all?