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Posted: 9/11/2022 2:57:36 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OOO, cool hats man. Just wait til you see the shiny ones with horsehair plumes. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:04:27 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not all UK military dress like that though. Here's my brother (60 years old with 43 years service) in his dress uniform raising the flag to half staff a couple of mornings ago. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105044/sunrise-2519800.jpg Didn't he lower it to half staff? |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:12:09 PM EDT
[#3]
Going into combat is about the dumbest thing a person can do. So, militaries worldwide have their troops do stupid things in order as part of their conditioning and to make sure they will willingly follow orders when under fire.
And then it becomes a bit of a threat display to other countries to have your troops do stupid things in public, like wear those hats. Anyone who would wear one of those hats would slow march through an artillery barrage if ordered to do so. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:19:03 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not to be overly pedantic, but all the bears in Europe are brown bears, and the brown bear range just barely (lol) enters Poland. You sure they aren’t imported from Russia or Canada or the US? I appreciate pedantic observations!  Perhaps they came from Russia. I was never involved with any of it, and just had a few conversations with the sergeant in charge of the Guard Company armory. So I might be misremembering, or perhaps the Poles were selling us Russian skins. All I knew was that I needed to make friends with the armory sergeant so that I could trade in my dad's old uniform for new stuff. It is pretty much impossible for a private citizen to own a bear skin hat and a full uniform, and it took a lot of time and effort - and cost - for me to end up with one. 
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:22:25 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I appreciate pedantic observations! Perhaps they came from Russia. I was never involved with any of it, and just had a few conversations with the sergeant in charge of the Guard Company armory. So I might be misremembering, or perhaps the Poles were selling us Russian skins. All I knew was that I needed to make friends with the armory sergeant so that I could trade in my dad's old uniform for new stuff. It is pretty much impossible for a private citizen to own a bear skin hat and a full uniform, and it took a lot of time and effort - and cost - for me to end up with one. Is there a guy at the Danish Army version of CID that still has a case in a dusty file cabinet for the Missing Bear Hat Caper? |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:22:59 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It signifies when a Brit soldier gets his head stuck in his miss’s snatch. One soldier in particular was in so deep, never to be found again. He is honored with the womb of the unknown soldier.  |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:25:54 PM EDT
[#7]
Look at these goofy lookin bums
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:27:07 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Is there a guy at the Danish Army version of CID that still has a case in a dusty file cabinet for the Missing Bear Hat Caper? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I appreciate pedantic observations! Perhaps they came from Russia. I was never involved with any of it, and just had a few conversations with the sergeant in charge of the Guard Company armory. So I might be misremembering, or perhaps the Poles were selling us Russian skins. All I knew was that I needed to make friends with the armory sergeant so that I could trade in my dad's old uniform for new stuff. It is pretty much impossible for a private citizen to own a bear skin hat and a full uniform, and it took a lot of time and effort - and cost - for me to end up with one. Is there a guy at the Danish Army version of CID that still has a case in a dusty file cabinet for the Missing Bear Hat Caper? Nothing is missing, and no crimes were committed. Everything was above board ... even if there was some creativity involved.  |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:29:45 PM EDT
[#9]
Of all the interesting traditions and uniforms around the world, one of my favorites are the French foreign legion pioneers/sappers Their dress uniform has a leather apron and an axe, and I believe a beard is required.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:39:26 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryMilitary parade dress and funny hats are synonymous. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:43:56 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Taller making them look more menacing, and the hats were made of bearskin. Horses don't like the smell, which makes it effective against cavalry, or at least that's the story I've read. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:48:43 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The five regiments of the Guards Division (Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards) plus the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, and King's Royal Hussars still wear the bearskin cover. Enlisted wear skins taken from the Canadian black bear, officers from Canadian brown bears. The tradition goes back to Waterloo. The 1st Foot Guards of Wellington's army fought against the French Imperial Guard, who wore bearskin caps. They whooped their asses, and as a tribute, incorporated the bearskin into the dress uniform. It started with the Coldstream and Grenadier Guards, I believe, and then migrated to the other regiments. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Synthetic now but those used to be real bear fur. You have a citation for that? Denmark experimented with synthetic as early as the late 50s, but concluded it wouldn't work. Currently the black bears used for the skin are sourced from Poland. I believe Britain tried some synthetics in the 2000s, but my understanding was that it similarly went nowhere, and actual bear skin is still used. I believe the British army gets their raw bear skins from Canada. The five regiments of the Guards Division (Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards) plus the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, and King's Royal Hussars still wear the bearskin cover. Enlisted wear skins taken from the Canadian black bear, officers from Canadian brown bears. The tradition goes back to Waterloo. The 1st Foot Guards of Wellington's army fought against the French Imperial Guard, who wore bearskin caps. They whooped their asses, and as a tribute, incorporated the bearskin into the dress uniform. It started with the Coldstream and Grenadier Guards, I believe, and then migrated to the other regiments. IIRC the 1st Foot Guards became the Grenadier Guards after Waterloo. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:55:46 PM EDT
[#13]
On a motorcycle you "Drive where you are looking". Maybe they are hoping the enemy will "Shoot where they are looking" and hit the hats instead of their bodies.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:56:20 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryThey look like a lot of fun guys. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:58:03 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cool. 43 years is a long time. What does he do? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Not all UK military dress like that though. Here's my brother (60 years old with 43 years service) in his dress uniform raising the flag to half staff a couple of mornings ago. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105044/sunrise-2519800.jpg 43 years is a long time. What does he do? He did 23 years in the Regular Army and since then has been Combined Cadet Force Staff Instructor at a Private School (i.e. teaching high school age kids how to be soldiers / future officers - drill and turnout, skill at arms, shooting, map and compass, fieldcraft and first aid etc) |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:59:13 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Didn't he lower it to half staff? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Not all UK military dress like that though. Here's my brother (60 years old with 43 years service) in his dress uniform raising the flag to half staff a couple of mornings ago. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105044/sunrise-2519800.jpg Didn't he lower it to half staff? No, it gets taken down at sunset and put back up at sunrise. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 3:59:53 PM EDT
[#17]
You need to study the history of the British army especially the Napoleonic wars.
There is a lot of symbolism involved. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 4:16:01 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: And fur coats would look feminine... Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: "Why Does The British Army Have Giant Fur Helmets?" Well....... because........ fur gloves and fur socks would just be retarded And fur coats would look feminine...  Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 4:17:16 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: "Why Does The British Army Have Giant Fur Helmets?" Well....... because........ fur gloves and fur socks would just be retarded And fur coats would look feminine... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/72476/post-5143-0-74368000-1481102386_thumb_jp-2522596.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/72476/post-5143-0-91693100-1480817194_thumb_jp-2522597.JPG I own a fur coat.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 4:24:40 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I own a fur coat. Which one are you?  Attached File |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 4:37:23 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No, it gets taken down at sunset and put back up at sunrise. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Not all UK military dress like that though. Here's my brother (60 years old with 43 years service) in his dress uniform raising the flag to half staff a couple of mornings ago. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105044/sunrise-2519800.jpg Didn't he lower it to half staff? No, it gets taken down at sunset and put back up at sunrise. And it would typically be raised to full staff then slowly lowered to half staff. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 5:01:29 PM EDT
[#22]
I think the Crimean War was the last time the Brits wore Bearskins in combat. At least by infantry. Scarlet jackets were last used in the field during the First Boer War.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 5:08:48 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: IIRC the 1st Foot Guards became the Grenadier Guards after Waterloo. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Synthetic now but those used to be real bear fur. You have a citation for that? Denmark experimented with synthetic as early as the late 50s, but concluded it wouldn't work. Currently the black bears used for the skin are sourced from Poland. I believe Britain tried some synthetics in the 2000s, but my understanding was that it similarly went nowhere, and actual bear skin is still used. I believe the British army gets their raw bear skins from Canada. The five regiments of the Guards Division (Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards) plus the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, and King's Royal Hussars still wear the bearskin cover. Enlisted wear skins taken from the Canadian black bear, officers from Canadian brown bears. The tradition goes back to Waterloo. The 1st Foot Guards of Wellington's army fought against the French Imperial Guard, who wore bearskin caps. They whooped their asses, and as a tribute, incorporated the bearskin into the dress uniform. It started with the Coldstream and Grenadier Guards, I believe, and then migrated to the other regiments. IIRC the 1st Foot Guards became the Grenadier Guards after Waterloo. Correct |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 5:30:31 PM EDT
[#24]
Good video of them doffing and donning the hats here. Starting at 7:50. Never saw the part with them laying their rifles down before.
You can see some of them wrestling with getting the hat back on. I presume it has to fit tight, since the chinstrap isn’t used. Question I have is, how long would it would have stayed on back in the day if you had to run or do any basic bayonet movements, even with a chinstrap. Looks like a PITA.  Charles III proclaimed king in historic ceremony - BBC News |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 5:57:11 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It keeps your attention away from the world class sh!tty rifles they've been fielding since WWII. They went from the best battle rifle of the war, the SMLE. To all those stupid bullpups. When HK 'fixed' them they threw away everything but the sheet metal receiver and replaced everything else.A Wonder if the palace guards could have every defended the Queen/King from anything except obnoxious American tourists. OOO, cool hats man. No love for the FAL through the majority of that time period? |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 5:57:39 PM EDT
[#26]
 India-Pakistan Border Ceremony | BBC Studios |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:11:19 PM EDT
[#27]
There was a time in History, when all the Tier 1 soldiers wore tall hats.
Those are a Tribute to that time. Plus, they store extra mags and grenades up there. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:29:32 PM EDT
[#28]
I think a mid 19th Century document expresses it best: "In order to present a more tremendous appearance."
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:34:42 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No love for the FAL through the majority of that time period? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: It keeps your attention away from the world class sh!tty rifles they've been fielding since WWII. They went from the best battle rifle of the war, the SMLE. To all those stupid bullpups. When HK 'fixed' them they threw away everything but the sheet metal receiver and replaced everything else.A Wonder if the palace guards could have every defended the Queen/King from anything except obnoxious American tourists. OOO, cool hats man. No love for the FAL through the majority of that time period? L1A1... '54 -'94 |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:37:22 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Of all the interesting traditions and uniforms around the world, one of my favorites are the French foreign legion pioneers/sappers Their dress uniform has a leather apron and an axe, and I believe a beard is required.  Definitely unique. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:38:20 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not to be overly pedantic, but all the bears in Europe are brown bears, and the brown bear range just barely (lol) enters Poland. You sure they aren’t imported from Russia or Canada or the US? Well, that's a first for you. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:49:14 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/18486/4F1551C7-E7DB-4FA5-B7DD-16E92C54CCB6-2522143.jpg May I present, the Drum Major for the United States Marine Corps band. Fake mil. Military bands since the decline of cadence marching into battle serve zero purpose and should have been disBanded decades ago. When I worked a HQ Exec position I had to review all our Air Force Band decorations, Imagine all the worthless shit you need to write in a medal narrative for a band member and then make it sound extra gay. That's the Air Force Band. It's not even high school marching band level these days. More comparable to a woke garage band you'd hire on the cheap for a high school party. My boss at the time thought they were a joke -- his words. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:51:17 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Look at these goofy lookin bums https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/490225/20180602_BRP005_0-2522540.jpg A couple of those dudes are chicks. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:55:12 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Well, that's a first for you. Thanks bro. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:55:30 PM EDT
[#35]
MEAT HELMUTS IN RANGOON
The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 6:57:01 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fake mil. Military bands since the decline of cadence marching into battle serve zero purpose and should have been disBanded decades ago. When I worked a HQ Exec position I had to review all our Air Force Band decorations, Imagine all the worthless shit you need to write in a medal narrative for a band member and then make it sound extra gay. That's the Air Force Band. It's not even high school marching band level these days. More comparable to a woke garage band you'd hire on the cheap for a high school party. My boss at the time thought they were a joke -- his words. The USMC Band is in fact “fake mil,” but they are all very accomplished pro musicians. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 7:05:06 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Because they kicked Napoleon’s ass and stole the Frenchies hat style. This is my understanding too. Post-Waterloo the Guards we’re authorized to wear them. In the earlier Revolutionary War (against ‘Murcia) they had mitre caps (think pope type hat). |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 7:06:11 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Question I have is, how long would it would have stayed on back in the day if you had to run or do any basic bayonet movements, even with a chinstrap. Looks like a PITA. For the Danish uniform, when it was used in battle in the 1800s, the chinstrap was definitely more functional, and under the chin instead of resting on it. The modern ceremonial strap is less functional for sure. Also, there IS a lanyard that attached the hat to you. So the notion that the hat COULD come off in combat was clearly considered. In modern ceremonial map use, the lanyard is typically not used with the blue uniform, but is always used for the red uniform. For officers, the lanyard is gold, and quite ornate. You can see it in this photo.  For enlisted, the lanyard is white. This guy lost his hat, but fortunately it is still attached to him.  You can see the thin lanyard very clearly.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 7:16:43 PM EDT
[#39]
British Grenadiers wore bearskins during the American Revolution. Was mainly for " intimidation". Reenactors on the Battle Road near Concord:
 Attached File |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 7:46:49 PM EDT
[#40]
BTW: One of the poll options was supposed to be "Okay Boomer Thread Is Okay Boomer," but I forgot before I hit "submit."
So feel free to add that choice in your comments.
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Posted: 9/11/2022 7:48:02 PM EDT
[#41]
When I was looking for pictures in my arfcomMedia library for the lanyards, I found this image (where I added the Brazzers logo).
Enjoy 
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:01:02 PM EDT
[#42]
A fun book for anybody looking into all of the pre-WW1 British Army weirdness that still informs it today is "Mr. Kipling's Army." https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Kiplings-Army-All-Queens/dp/0393304442
It starts off noting that during most of the Victorian period there was not a single person who was actually in charge of the entire British Army as a whole, and the Army and Royal Navy basically pretended the other didn't exist. And then it gets weirder from there. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:01:46 PM EDT
[#43]
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:03:29 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The USMC Band is in fact “fake mil,” but they are all very accomplished pro musicians. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Fake mil. Military bands since the decline of cadence marching into battle serve zero purpose and should have been disBanded decades ago. When I worked a HQ Exec position I had to review all our Air Force Band decorations, Imagine all the worthless shit you need to write in a medal narrative for a band member and then make it sound extra gay. That's the Air Force Band. It's not even high school marching band level these days. More comparable to a woke garage band you'd hire on the cheap for a high school party. My boss at the time thought they were a joke -- his words. The USMC Band is in fact “fake mil,” but they are all very accomplished pro musicians. And the other USMC Bands not at 8th and I have to go through Parris Island like everybody else. Then, of course, there's the combat history of the 28th Infantry's band. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:03:57 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: When I was looking for pictures in my arfcomMedia library for the lanyards, I found this image (where I added the Brazzers logo). Enjoy https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/68492.JPG Is that his step dad? |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:08:03 PM EDT
[#46]
I think it's a euro thing. Have you seen some the weird shit the royals put on their heads on special occasions?
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Posted: 9/11/2022 8:19:04 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I bet those things in the summer time are absolutely brutal The advantage they have in the UK is the summer is mild there, low to mid 70s as a high even in July and August, barring a heatwave. |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 9:19:49 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted: From a vid I watched about the coronation ceremony of...well...you know. What's up with these ginormous fur covered helmets anyway? Like, what's the deal? Was there some war, two or three hundred years ago, in which the British Army found it somehow advantageous to wear helmets that were, like, 8 feet tall? I mean, really? I don't get it. Discuss the shit.  https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/49274/BigHelmets2-2521816.jpg There's a fascinating series on Youtube about this very unit called "Guarding the Queen" and they go over their uniform in detail. I recommend watching it if you have the time.  Guarding The Queen Episode 1 |
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Posted: 9/11/2022 10:04:14 PM EDT
[#49]
Never mind.
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Posted: 9/12/2022 6:45:58 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryOooo Ah Wah.....
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