Toronto Scottish Backing?

[Belfin]

Tim,

My sincerest genuine thanks to you for taking the time to answer this, it is very much appreciated and has given me far more insight than I could have wished for.

As Bill says, this has indeed been an interesting thread. With all the recent changes to swatches and balmorals mentioned above, no wonder we all had trouble pinning down a single definitive answer!

Thank you again Tim.

Cheers, Paul.

[ddaydodger]

Tim;

You said that the NCMs used to wear a rifle green balmoral, was that always the case, or was that the CF green balmoral brought into service in the early 1970s?

[ddaydodger]

I thought I would post this out of interest, if you look closely at the backings they all look slightly different to me. The L/Cpl center rank clearly has a tartan backing, the Cpl behind him as cut the corners of his backing, and the Sgt's backing could be black.

[Tanker Mike]

Interesting that everyone except the rifleman in the far right background, are all wearing pistol order.

[Bill A]

This is one of several early colour images of the Queen Mother inspecting elements of 2 CID. It is interesting to note that the Toronto Scottish are wearing plain 2 CID patches, not the pattern with the MG arrow imposed.

[Bill A]

This was recently posted on the CSC Discussion Forum. Author, Arthur McLean.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/28173

Briefly, if this is supposed to be a WWI glengarry as worn before 1919 it cannot be a Toronto Scottish item, as the Toronto Scottish did not come into existence until 1921. Any photographs I ever saw of the TorScots' WWI predecessor, the 75th Bn CEF, showed other ranks in helmets or standard Canadian infantry forage caps.

To the best of my knowledge the TorScots never wore khaki glengaries. Until 1968 they either wore the blue glengarry with fawn/white/elcho blue dicing (solid blue for the 2nd Bn during WWII and for pipers) and an elcho blue toorie, or a khaki balmoral with a blue toorie (fawn with a blue toorie for officers and the RSM). After unification they wore the blue glengarry as described above, the khaki and fawn balmorals as described above with combat clothing and a CF green balmoral with various orders of service dress. Recent photos indicate the Regiment has abandoned the khaki balmoral, with NCMs wearing CF green balmorals with combat clothing.

The other issue is the lack of backing behind the badge on this glengarry. Before 1933 I am unclear on what was worn by the Regiment behind the badge. It might have been a patch of Hodden Grey cloth; I suspect more likely was a patch of blue cloth, which was for a time the custom of the sister Regiment, the London Scottish of Britain's Territorial Army (the London Scottish, now A Company, the London Regiment, appear to be wearing Hodden Grey patches on their balmorals now). Some time after the death of the first Commanding Officer, Col C.C. Harbottle DSO CMG, in 1933 the Regiment adopted a black patch, known within the Regiment as a Mourning Patch, in perpetual mourning for the first CO. The TorScots also wear black garter tabs in all kilted orders of dress, also in perpetual mourning for Colonel Harbottle. So far as I know the TorScots are the only Regiment in the Commonwealth to wear black tabs year-round (Rifle Regiments in tropical dress would wear black tabs with long hose).