Headgear of the 32 Signal Regiment - Glengarry, Tam O'Shanter, or Beret?
 

I am in the process of cataloguing my 32 Signal Regiment headgear and could use expertise from the forum to ensure I am labeling everything correctly.

I know the regiment wears (has worn?) three types of headgear; the glengarry, tam o'shanter, and blue beret with a Red Grant tartan square (glengarry) or diamond (TOS and beret) as a badge backing. The right to wear the Red Grant tartan was granted in 1967.

Here is where I am confused and would appreciate your insight.

There is one squadron, 40 (North Irish Horse) Signal Squadron, in Belfast with all other units based in Scotland.

Does the regiment continue to wear the blue beret? Is it only worn by the squadron in Northern Ireland? Does the Irish squadron also wear the glengarry, or do they wear a peaked cap?

If the blue beret is no longer worn, in what year to did this occur? 2009?

When did the regiment begin wearing the TOS? I know it was only in 2009 that the Scottish Transport Regiment requested, and was granted, the right to wear the TOS.

Below are pictures of all three types of Other Ranks headgear. The glengarry for Staff Sergeants and above has a blue toorie and Pipers and Officers have their own distinct cap badges.

I look forward to having this mystery (at least for me) cleared up.

Reid

Chris Walker is the man for all things Signals.

His superb webpage may give you some of the info you need.

www.signalsbadges.co.uk

Mark

Was recently in contact with 40 (NIH) Sqn. Got this info..When 40 (Ulster) Signal Regt disbanded in 2010. They joined 32 SR. And are now 40 (NIH) Signal Sqn, part of 32 SR. The Sqn wear the navy beret, and seniors wear the navy caubeen. The remainder if the regiment wear tam o shanter type head dress.

Gentlemen, this is exactly what I needed to know.

Chris Walker's page was extremely helpful and provided when the Red Grant tartan was authorized, but did not address when the TOS was introduced and who wore it.

Thank you irishhorse for your answer to my question. I did not know the seniors wear the navy caubeen. I will be searching for a picture today of the caubeen being worn.

In 2009, a request was granted allowing the Scottish Transport Regiment to wear the Tam O’Shanter with Red MacDuff badge backing rather than the beret. The STR was redesignated the 154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC in 2016 and continues to wear the TOS. The Irish squadron appears to still wear the blue beret.

I wonder when the TOS was granted for the 32nd? The pattern of TOS for the regiment I have seen is the smaller crown and black cotton lining introduced in the late 90s (I believe ~1998), so it was likely in the 2000s.

Thank you again for your posts! I will update the entries for my collection.

Reid

i can't answer that question but when the Liverpool Signals Squadron was part of 32 (before yet another reorganisation put it back in 37 I think) the OC decided on the TofS for them and styled themselves as Liverpool Scottish. This raised a few eyebrows including the CO's!

Alan that is most interesting and something I have never heard of before,when are we talking about please ?

Peter

A thread on 32 Sig Regt headgear (I know a number of contributers to this thread also posted there but might as well link it):

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...ottish+Signals

On the last page of the thread that Leigh provided the link for, there are two PDFs for the Wire (1985 and 1986), which show members of the 32nd wearing berets. So, it appears the TOS was introduced at least after 1986.

I still lead toward the early 2000s, but it would be nice to have the date confirmed. Maybe the Royal Signals Museum will know.

Maybe I can walk it back from 1986 to when the TOS is first shown in the Wire...

33 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Squadron were part of 32 from 2009-2015. I don't know when they got the ToS but the CO was a friend of mine and found it all a bit silly as there was nothing Scottish about the Sqn itself.

32 were wearing berets will into the 1990s and beyond so the ToS is much more recent. I was in Kosovo in 2001 witha TA Officer from 32 who wore a beret.

Very interesting thread. Alan, a question please. Did the fellow in Kosovo wear he Grant Tartan backing on his beret or is that something just for home dress?

Terry

Thank you, Alan. That helps to further narrow down the TOS to post-2001.

I was also in Kosovo around that time, but I dealt mainly with the Russians from the 13th Tactical Group in Kamenica.

Another Scottish Reserve Unit who appears to have adopted the TOS in the early 2000s is the 205th (Scottish) Field Hospital.

Terry

I think he had the tartan patch. He went on to command the regiment which just shows how 'TA primacy' rules worked as he was a nice but ineffectual chap!

Alan

Thanks Alan! There was an old saying that if they couldn't do the job....promote'm! Fraid I fired a few in my day, as I was not going to pass them on, even thought they were dumped on me!

Terry

I was able to find a picture from 18 October 2009 of the 32nd wearing the TOS (See Below). So now the date the regiment adopted the TOS can be narrowed down to between 2002 and 2009.