Unidentified hackle

[Peter Brydon]

Billy,

That is most interesting,can you say when you served please.

Was it when the unit was still called the Liverpool Irish ( I think the unit at Aigburth Road now call themselves The Liverpool Gunners so presumably they wear the blue over red hackle )

Was it the anodised Liverpool Irish badge you wore in the caubeen or the anodised R.A. badge .If it was the Lpool Irish badge can you recall what officers wore ?

I think there is a Lancashire Artillery Volunteers Pipe band based I think at Bolton , would this be the pipe band that the unit borrowed ?

Anything further you can add would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Peter

[billy4294]

Peter. 208 was welll converted to artillery when I served with them ( about a year and a half as I went into the regulars ) The cap badge was ano Artillery and the dress for remembrance was full combats, as not long after I joined the TA stopped issuing No.2 dress to save money, so some blokes didn't have it. No.2 dress was standard artillery with bog standard cap. 208 was the senior battery based, as you rightly say, at Aigburth. HQ was Deysbrook barracks, which was 42 command work shop REME and home at the time for the regional bomb disposal team. The band we used was not the Bolton band. It was a pipe band, with full tartan kit. Not sure were it came from. If you want to see the Liverpool Irish at St Georges Hall, go to the Liverpool Echo and search for, 2009 remembrance parade photos. You'll see them with funny hats and hackles. I'll attach a copy of my ID for this unit ( No loner issued ) when I figure out how to.

[billy4294]

Call me thick, but I can only get one image on at a time

[billy4294]

Peter. front picture is to large. Send you it when I find out how to manually resize it.

[Peter Brydon]

Billy,

Many thanks. There was an attempt to form a Liverpool Irish museum at Aigburth Road in the 1970`s, I dont suppose there was anything left of the Museum during your time was there ?

Peter

[billy4294]

Nothing there at all pete. In fact unlike regulars, when I joined the TA, there were no history lessons on the unit at all. When the new museum opens in Liverpool in July ( ugly building ) hopefully they'll put all the old Liverpool regiment uniforms etc back on display. They've been in moth balls for years.

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Billy,

The amount of stuff on display ( at least the Volunteer/Territorial items which is what I am interested in ) got smaller when the Kings collection moved from the old Museum next to The Walker Art Gallery down to Albert Dock. I just hope there will be a good display at the new Museum, I understand that a lot of the stuff that was on display at the Liverpool Scottish Museum in Botanic Road is now with the Kings collection but I wonder how much will be on display in July ?

I remember an article in the Kings Regt magazine many years ago saying the museum had acquired some state of the art air tight storage wardrobes for the uniform collection which I think was then in the old Cains Brewery building.

A friend and I made an appointment with the Curator to go and see the uniforms but we discovered that all the insignia on the stored uniforms had been removed which to me made the items of little value or interest.

Did you ever get to the Liverpool Scottish Museum, unfortunatley and very regretfully I only went once- still kicking myself.

Peter

[billy4294]

Never been to the Liverpool Scottish museum. Made a donation to them though, for some research they did for me on my great uncle in the Liverpool pals. The new museum, though ugly, is huge. So hopefully they will have everything back on display.

[billy4294]

Peter. Here is the front of the ID card. By the way, Deysbrook Barracks is now no more. A Tesco now stands on the site.

[dyse]

Originally Posted by tynesideirish

South African Army:

Scottish- and Irish-influenced regiments which wear the hackle include:
South African Irish Regiment: Green
Transvaal Scottish Regiment: Red
Witwatersrand Rifles: Black

Regards Mike

Small addition to this list: the First City/Cape Town Highlanders (these two regiments amalgamated upon return to SA from the North African campaign) wore a green over gold hackle on their tams in Italy in 1944/45 instead of a cap badge.

Cheers,
Mike

[wairua]

Another addition for Mikes excellent hackle list. There are also two TA battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland:

52 Lowland (6 SCOTS): Grey Hackle
51 Highland (7 SCOTS): Purple Hackle

I also recently saw an ACF Adult Instructor in Stirling wearing a Tam O'Shanter with an Argyll cap badge and tartan backing with a green hackle.

Cheers,
Wairua

[eric fawcett]

Originally Posted by 8thfoot

I wonder if anyone could tell me which unit wore ( or wears ) the red over blue hackle illustrated ?
P.B.

this is the hackle of the 8th liverpool irish TA prior to 1955 it used to be green over red when the regiment was amalgamated into 470RA,TA, in 1957 it changed to blue over red with only Q Batteryand the Band having the privilege of keeping the caubeen as regular head dress a further amalgamation in 1966 reduced Q Battery down to a troop im not sure but i believe they wear the caubeen on ceremonial occasions hope this helps Eric

[eric fawcett]

Originally Posted by 8thfoot

Thanks for your response, the red over blue hackle came with a chromed Liverpool Irish badge and was said to be a pipers badge/hackle but the Liverool Irish wore a blue over red hackle as in the attached photo and I am also a bit dubious about the chromed badge beinga pipers but I may be wrong.
Any ideas about the other hackle illustrated.It is red over green ,but the colours might not be too clear on the photo.
P.B.

the pipe band had a much larger badge than the Q Battery Gunners the badge shown on the picture is that of the 8th liverpool irish regt Gunners

[Peter Brydon]

Thanks Eric,
The attached shows the badge adopted by Liverpool Irish Pipers and Drummers in the 1950`s. I wonder if the pipers might have worn a chromed badges as worn by other ranks before this badge was introduced.

P.B.

[BILL DUGGAN]

I was a young recruit at St Georges barracks, Sutton Coalfield when The Warwicks joined The Fusilier Brigade.

The N.C.O's from that regiment were very proud to call the colour of their hackles "Royal blue above Old gold"

In reality the colours were a Very dark blue (like the beret) above orange.

Looking at the beret from the rear . The orange was not apparent and from a distance it looked like the beret had a dark blue 'touree' which was reminiscent of the 'pork pie' cap of Crimean War vintage.

The modern day hackle made from small chicken feathers (for enviromental reasons) being sold on eBay has a lighter shade of blue, which I presume is a true 'Royal' blue

Hope this is helpful.