Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Mc William
Hi Julian
The questions you raised re the origins of the Infantry "Torin" cap are, to say the least, problematical as the following illustrations I have dug up would indicate :
It would appear that the earliest version of this undress headwear was adopted by the Royal Marines in the early 1800's … if this first image of unknown origin is to be believed. (note this is being worn by an OR).
Certainly, by c.1837, this contemporary painting by Augustus Earle shows an officer wearing such a headdress .. altho' it was then referred to simply as a "Field Service Cap".
The next illustration from Punch (13th May 1854) lampoons the new headdress now adopted by the Guards and called the "Albert Bonnet".
Just exactly when these were finally dubbed the "Torin cap" is still a mystery to me at least, and I would be grateful to anyone who can enlighten me.
The practice of wearing this cap by the remainder of the Infantry (and Cavalry) seems to have been sporadic and gradual from the late 1870's and indeed from various photos I have seen, was often mixed with both the Glengarry and the Austrian Field Service cap in a most unusual and casual manner. Similarly with the badges which were not always worn on the cap and were often derived from collar badges. Regards Jeff
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I missed this Jeff and just wanted to add my support to all that you’ve said in this post. I reached the exact same conclusion some years ago and was most intrigued when I found the Royal Marine’s connection, it appears in a few contemporaneous paintings. Reaching a dead end regarding the ‘Torin’ descriptor, in desperation I wrote to the National Army Museum to ask formally. I received a reply from a rather bored collections curator who said she didn’t know but recommending that I enquire with the Victorian Wars Forum! This did make me chuckle as it was on that forum’s behalf that I was enquiring. I/we never did get to the bottom of the Torin moniker, which remains a mystery. Incidentally, one seemingly significant fact that I did discover is that the Torin’s usage in the British-Indian Army was by a large margin for much longer than its use by the British Army. It made me wonder if that is where the Torin link lies.