Para badge on blue beret

[Anjoucollector]

Do you know if this blue beret with Para badge on Hunting Stewart tartan backing is still worn ? I guess the tartan comes from the ex-15 PARA (Scottish Volunteer).

Laurent

[ianh67military]

I'd guess it was worn by the Army Cadet Force or Combined Cadet Force detachments in Scotland that were attached to 15 Scottish Volunteer Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
As they no longer wear a beret flash, being 4 Para now, I'd guess the ACF/CCF detachments are the same.
Of course they're a long way from SO2 G3 (Cadets) so who knows. I know thw Ayrshire cap badge was worn long after the TA stopped wearing it.

Ian H

[tynesideirish]

No doubt Parachute Regiment affiliated Cadets.

[pontecagnano]

Does anyone know if the Scottish Para Cadets wore their backing flash this way round please? It's a mirror image of the 15 Para flash. The red line should run from top right to bottom left.

Many thanks,

Graham

[Unknownsoldier]

Yeah the CCF wear Blue not Maroon for paras afaik, it was discussed at my school just as I was leaving and the idea of wearing Maroon because it suited our school colours in some way (I forget now), well, went out of the window.

[Anjoucollector]

I have found this text about selection for 15 PARA recruits :

"Selection for entry into the TA Parachute regiment was carried out at the various TA Drill Halls in Scotland at each Platoon’s own Pre Para Training Team and coming together on various weekends to train as a Battalion recruit training cadre and with the final few remaining coming together as 15 PARA recruits at the Depot Para and Airborne Forces at Browning Barracks in Aldershot, Hants.

Here recruits put forward for Pre Parachute Selection would spend two weeks being assesed and tested before being awarded ther coveted Maroon beret and Parachute Regiment cap badge in preperation for attending RAF Brize Norton at a later date to complete a 2 week Basic Military parachute course which would result in them being awarded there British Parachute wings and become full members of "15 PARA"....."

What kind of beret and badge did they wear during the selection ?

[Colin S]

Reservist Parachute Regiment recruits do not wear a beret before they have passed P Company selection. They have to wear the despised camouflage "crap hat" as a sign of their lowly status until they have proved themselves worthy of wearing the maroon beret. Regular Army Parachute Regiment recruits will receive a maroon beret before P Company, after they have "passed off the square" (i.e. proved their basic soldier skills and drills), but their beret will have a green plastic badge backing to show they are still very much in training still.

The orientation of the tartan badge backing on this beret is indeed different to 15 PARA but is the same as the 5th (Scottish) Battalion, Parachute Regiment of World War Two fame. They were originally the 7th Battalion Cameron Highlanders. I know that the Hunting Stuart tartan on this beret is a tartan shared by more than one Clan and regiment - perhaps each regiment wears it differently, depending on territorial affiliation? Does anyone definitely know?

Just to add a little more confusion, I add two more images. The one with the maroon diamond was described as an ACF beret from the 1980s and the one with the tartan being for A Company 4 PARA before P Company, which I believe is wrong for the reasons explained above. Does anyone have any more information?

[Tommo]

The Maroon backing on the beret above is for the Parachute Regiment ACF band so I'm told.

The only other Para recruits to wear the Maroon lid are those at AFC Harrogate who wear it with a green oval backing.

[Roy]

Hi Chaps,

Here is a photo of me wearing my 'crap-hat' (mentioned by Colin S in post 7) while at Depot Para.

I recall we were allowed (required) to wear our maroon beret while on guard duty even prior to P-Company and not having earned it.

Cheerio,

Roy

[Loski]

Originally Posted by Colin S

Reservist Parachute Regiment recruits do not wear a beret before they have passed P Company selection. They have to wear the despised camouflage "crap hat" as a sign of their lowly status until they have proved themselves worthy of wearing the maroon beret. Regular Army Parachute Regiment recruits will receive a maroon beret before P Company, after they have "passed off the square" (i.e. proved their basic soldier skills and drills), but their beret will have a green plastic badge backing to show they are still very much in training still.

The orientation of the tartan badge backing on this beret is indeed different to 15 PARA but is the same as the 5th (Scottish) Battalion, Parachute Regiment of World War Two fame. They were originally the 7th Battalion Cameron Highlanders. I know that the Hunting Stuart tartan on this beret is a tartan shared by more than one Clan and regiment - perhaps each regiment wears it differently, depending on territorial affiliation? Does anyone definitely know?

Just to add a little more confusion, I add two more images. The one with the maroon diamond was described as an ACF beret from the 1980s and the one with the tartan being for A Company 4 PARA before P Company, which I believe is wrong for the reasons explained above. Does anyone have any more information?

As a member of the Aldershot detachment of the ACF in 1980 we all wore a maroon diamond flash behind a para cap badge on a midnight blue beret. The adult instructors all wore a maroon beret with para cap badge.

[Home Guard]

The blue beret with the tartan backing in that orientation, as has been said, with the red stripe going from left to right is for the Kelvinside Academy CCF.

Kelvinside Academy CCF 2.jpg

Kelvinside Academy CCF 1.jpg


Terry

[Mike B]

Originally Posted by ianh67military

I'd guess it was worn by the Army Cadet Force or Combined Cadet Force detachments in Scotland that were attached to 15 Scottish Volunteer Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
As they no longer wear a beret flash, being 4 Para now, I'd guess the ACF/CCF detachments are the same.
Of course they're a long way from SO2 G3 (Cadets) so who knows. I know thw Ayrshire cap badge was worn long after the TA stopped wearing it.

Ian H

No doubt spot on Ian - same principle as Royal Marine Cadets blue too ...

[bess55]

Interesting thread chaps. While we are on the topic, does anyone recognise the attached, shaped dark green backing? It was cut from a very worn and mothed maroon beret, as is. Not something I have come across before. The cap badge is anodised alluminium on lugs.

Any ideas gents?

Bess

[CAM]

Didn’t Junior Para wear blue beret?

Chris

[Colin S]

Originally Posted by bess55

Interesting thread chaps. While we are on the topic, does anyone recognise the attached, shaped dark green backing? It was cut from a very worn and mothed maroon beret, as is. Not something I have come across before. The cap badge is anodised alluminium on lugs.

Any ideas gents?

Bess

Queen’s Crown, so might be from 17 PARA (V) after 1952. They were a conversion of a territorial Durham Light Infantry battalion and wore a rifle green diamond backing to their Para Regt badge on a maroon beret (but not normally shaped as this one).