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Old 12-10-12, 12:23 AM
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John Mulcahy John Mulcahy is offline
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Default Wearing of Hackles by Fusilier regiments in FSH

Timo

I thought you might find the following of interest

it appears as if the RDF started to wear hackles in the Foreign Service Helmet (FSH) in about 1903 when 1 RDF was based in Malta


WO32/6989, WO32/6990 & WO32/6991 are files in the National Archives that relate to the wearing of hackles in the FSH by fusilier regiments. All this debate was precipitated by the LF. The story is a bit long-winded and confusing but here is the outline of the situation.


The Lanc Fusiliers (LF) were authorized their raccoon skin headdress plume in 1901 (15 December)

On 9th Feb 1903 the LF were allowed to wear a hackle (called plumes in the correspondence) in the FSH by the war office. The authority was 61062/Infantry/787

This authorization was cancelled by the C in C on 24 April 1903

However OC 1 LF appealed the decision on the grounds that the battalion had already paid for the hackles (letter ref 61002/Infantry/903) and the C in C changes his mind and grants temporary permission on 15 /10/ 1903. He stated that once 1 Bn’s foreign tour (there were at Malta at the time) was up the hackles needed to be removed.

Now 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers were in the same brigade at the time and they too began to wear a hackle in their colours in the FSH . They were told to remove them as they were not authorized to wear them, O/C 1 RDF writes to authorities March 2nd 1904 asking for a decision about wearing their hackle in the FSH.

The RDF were ordered to stop wearing their hackle on 5 April 1904 (54/102/81).

OC 1 Bn RDF then writes to authorities stating that LF were accidentally granted permission to wear a hackle but the RDF were refused . He asks to be allowed permission as the LF have been allowed to wear a plume because of the expense incurred and 1RDF have also bought a stock at regimental expense.

2 May 1904, the permanent clothing committee considers the question of allowing all fusilier regiments to wear a hackle in the FSH with or without the authorized badge. They come out in favour of it.

9-March 1905 C in C Malta weights in saying he would ban plumes altogether but for the fact that the LF were authorized the hackle in 1903 & again in 1904. He is concerned that another fusilier battalion was ordered to stop wearing their hackle, he is concerned about the contradictory orders both on the grounds of non-uniformity and the fact that an English bn was allowed their hackle but an Irish one was refused the same distinction. He is concerned about the possibility of perceived favouritism or unequal treatment raising it's head.

C in C weighs in and rules against hackles (ACD/RF/565 & ACD/39/329). The decision to forbid hackles in the FSH was again re-iterated on 13 July 1905 (AD/Infantry/3783) and it is re-stated that 1 Bn Lanc Fusiliers must stop wearing them when the overseas tour is over.

Obviously this is not the end of the story as ultimately hackles appear to have been adopted by most if not all fusilier regiments, but it is where my research stops, for now.


John

Last edited by John Mulcahy; 05-04-13 at 12:06 AM. Reason: corrected some poor spelling.
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