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  #1  
Old 24-09-17, 01:08 PM
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Default Puggaree Flashes - Size & Position

With regard to puggaree flashes during the Victorian era, my understanding is that there was no Army dress regulation as to size and/or position that they should be when worn on the FSH.

a) Is this correct?
b) Were dress regulations relating to size of flash and position on the FSH subsequently issued in later times?

In terms of flash dimensions, the photos below (post-Victorian) show two differently sized flashes to the Cheshire Regiment (1st Bn., I believe). The flash on the Wolseley is somewhat larger than that on the khaki solar pith helmet. Why might this be?

IMG_4949.jpg IMG_4950.jpg

With thanks,

JT
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Old 25-09-17, 01:58 AM
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Default Pagri flashes.

The wearing, or introduction, of unauthorised Dress, clothing, equipment and badges was forbidden by both King and Queen’s Regulations. This does not appear to have stopped some regiments adopting unofficial embellishments as the wording of the regulations gave some scope for latitude. For example, in Dress Regulations 1900 Officers could wear a Field Service cap badge affixed to the front of their helmets; Dress Regulations 1911 [Published 26.11.11.] stated that ‘No badges, plumes, hackles or ornaments of any description are to be worn with the khaki helmet’. A year later King’s Regulations 1912 (Amended to 01.08.14.) stated that in No1 Full Dress Review Order, abroad, the ‘khaki helmet with chin strap, but without badge, or ornamentation, is to be worn’. For No2 Service Dress Marching Order abroad, the Regs only state ‘The Khaki helmet takes the place of the Service Dress Cap’. Ornamentation in this context meant that authorised for wear on the Home Service helmet, but Regulations are not so explicit as to preclude wearing other items in No2 Dress abroad. Whilst not saying so directly, a replacement of the SD Cap implied authority to wear any badge or embellishment authorised for wear with the cap. Numerous infantry regiments utilised the centres of their home helmet plate for this purpose without explicit permission.

Army Regulations India 1913 state that no plumes, chains, or metal badges were to be worn with the khaki Wolseley pattern helmet. On the white Wolseley helmet it was noted that:
‘Unless a special badge for the helmet is described, that for the Forage cap is worn on the pagri’

Whilst the authorised hackles, plumes etc have been officially documented, for obvious reason, no comprehensive list of ‘pagri flashes’ has survived.
The practice of wearing regimental devices upon Foreign Service Helmets established itself during the Boer War when British soldiers cut the shoulder straps from their scarlet tunics and used the embroidered regimental designations upon their helmets. The wearing of pagri flashes became widespread in the Army in India and multiplied during the course of the war from 1914 to 1919.


28.02.24. ACI 130: In an attempt to control what was worn on helmets abroad this Instruction stated:
‘The wearing of Hackles is forbidden, except for the Black Watch. Regimental patches may be worn on khaki Foreign Service Helmet. The wearing of non-Regulation titles, boots, caps, chevrons, plaited lines etc.is forbidden.’

1925. Indian AO 558: Mentions that a topee [pagri] flash (without numerals or letters) was worn on the left side of the helmet and would not have exceeded 3” x 2”.

01.11.25. Dress Regs India 1925 (Provisional) permitted flashes, hackles etc, to be worn on the Khaki Helmet by Officers of the British Service and Indian Army, provided that all officers of a regiment or corps were dressed alike. Whilst details of some Indian and Gurkha units are listed, no British unit flashes etc are listed in these Regulations. These instructions remained unchanged in the 1931 edition.

04.10.28. Dress Regulations (Provisional) 1928, authorised:
‘Patches of regimental pattern were permitted to be worn on the khaki Foreign Service Helmet’.

From that date onwards there appears to have been little, if any further official recognition of what was worn.

The IWM holds a very comprehensive survey of pagri flashes etc. put together by John Mollo covering 1914 onwards.
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  #3  
Old 26-09-17, 08:33 AM
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Thank you.
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Old 03-10-17, 09:04 AM
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This is the 1st battalion the Cheshire regiment in Allahabad 1929, all ranks wore this Pompom.
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File Type: jpg img702 copy.jpg (75.7 KB, 32 views)
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Old 03-10-17, 09:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercian View Post
This is the 1st battalion the Cheshire regiment in Allahabad 1929, all ranks wore this Pompom.
Thanks for your reply. Great shot.

Did the pompom replace the flash by this time?

JT
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Old 03-10-17, 03:47 PM
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The 1st seem to have worn the pompom only in 1929, then went back to the regimental flash in 1930. Your photo is between 1922 and 1925, these two photo's are 1927 and 1933.
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File Type: jpg 1927.jpg (73.6 KB, 14 views)
File Type: jpg 1933.jpg (55.8 KB, 13 views)
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Old 03-10-17, 09:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercian View Post
The 1st seem to have worn the pompom only in 1929, then went back to the regimental flash in 1930. Your photo is between 1922 and 1925, these two photo's are 1927 and 1933.
Nice to have those dates. Thanks for that.

I note in your 'pompom' picture that the puggaree has a cleft at the point where the pompom is located. Is this simply a device to tie/hold the pompom in place, or is it perhaps an extra fold in the puggaree itself? There seems to be no fold at this point to the puggarees in my photo.

The Suffolk Regiment had three folds to their puggaree, aligned with the '12', '4' and '8 o'clock' seams in the helmet cover (no fold at the front) though as I have alluded to above, this does not seem to be the case for the Cheshires' puggarees in my pic.

Suffolks Puggaree Folds.jpg

With thanks,

JT

Last edited by Jelly Terror; 03-10-17 at 10:42 PM.
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Old 04-10-17, 10:14 AM
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Fascinating insight in to the lost art of pugaree folding! Perhaps it's best its confined to the annals of history alongside long puttee winding.
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