hackle

It has been suggested that Black Hackle be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2011.

The hackle is a clipped feather plume that is attached to a military headdress.

In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries the hackle is worn by some infantry regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish origins. The colour of the hackle varies from regiment to regiment. It is traditionally taken from the neck of the cock vulture.

The hackle should not be confused with the much longer set of feathers commonly attached to the feather bonnet worn by Highland regiments (now usually only worn by drummers, pipers and bandsmen).

British Army

Hackle colours in British fusilier regiments

In the modern British Army, there is a single regiment of fusiliers, plus a battalion of a large regiment. Hackle colours are:

• Royal Regiment of Fusiliers: Red over white
• Royal Highland Fusiliers (a battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland): White

There were several other fusilier regiments which have been amalgamated and no longer exist. The hackle colours worn were as follows:

• Lancashire Fusiliers: Primrose yellow
• Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment): White
• Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers: Grey
• Royal Irish Fusiliers: Green
• Royal Northumberland Fusiliers: Red over white
• Royal Scots Fusiliers: White
• Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers: Blue over Gold
• Royal Welch Fusiliers: White

Other Ranks of the Royal Welsh, the regiment that was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Wales, continue to wear the white hackle of the RWF.

The fictional regiment featured in the series Soldier Soldier is also a fusilier regiment:

• King's Own Fusiliers: Blue over white

Non-Fusilier Regiments

White hackle, as worn by the Royal Highland Fusiliers Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland

Non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle are:

• Irish Guards (pipers on caubeen only): St Patrick's blue
• Liverpool Scottish (now a platoon of A (King's) Company, King's and Cheshire Regiment): Royal blue
• London Irish Rifles (now D (London Irish Rifles) Company, London Regiment): Green [Pipers wear St Patrick's blue]
• Royal Irish Regiment (as the direct descendent of two regiments of fusiliers): Green
• Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (on pipers' feather bonnet in Full Dress, pipers' / drummers' glengarry /atholl bonnet in No.1 and No.2 dress): White
• Royal Welsh (Other Ranks only): White
• Scots Guards (pipers on feather bonnet only): Blue over red
• The Queen's University Officers' Training Corps: St Patrick's Blue (A Coy Caubeen Only)
• Royal Air Force (pipe band only): Blue

Following the amalgamation of the regiments of the Scottish Division to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006, the following hackles are being worn by the regiment's constituent battalions:

• Royal Scots Borderers (1 SCOTS): Black
• Royal Highland Fusiliers (2 SCOTS): White
• Black Watch (3 SCOTS): Red
• The Highlanders (4 SCOTS): Blue
• Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 SCOTS): Green

Whilst the white hackle of 2 SCOTS, red hackle of 3 SCOTS and blue hackle of 4 SCOTS have a known ancestry, the origin of 1 SCOTS black hackle and 5 SCOTS green hackle are not clear and have no apparent precedent. It may be that the black hackle of 1 SCOTS simulates the black-cock tail feathers originally worn in the 1904 pattern Kilmarnock Bonnet and latterly in the regimental Glengarry Cap by the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, who merged in August 2006 to form 1 SCOTS. Alternatively, it may be a sympathetic gesture to a former Lowland regiment, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), who went into 'suspended animation' in 1968 (and later disbanded), who wore a black hackle in their rifle green dress Balmoral. The adoption of the green hackle now being worn by the Argylls battalion (5 SCOTS) is no doubt a continuation of that regiment's association with the colour green, most prominent in the hue of their regimental kilts and stripes on their regimental association ties. (It is, however, worthy of note that in the 19th Century, all line regiments of the British Army used to designate their "light company" with a green hackle.)^[1] The Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland does not wear the hackle. However, the Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Territorial Army) continues to wear the red hackle with the Tam o' Shanter.

Former non-fusilier regiments, now amalgamated, which also wore the hackle were:

• 40 (Ulster) Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals: Navy blue, sky blue and green.
• Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: (feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major): White
• Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: (Pipers only) Black Cock Feather
• Black Watch: Red
• The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles): Black
• Gordon Highlanders: Feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major: White, Bandsmen: Red and White
• Gordon Highlanders: (Pipers only) Black Cock Feather
• Highland Light Infantry: White over red
• The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): Royal blue
• The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): (feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major) White
• The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): (Pipers only) Eagle feather
• Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: Royal blue
• Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: (feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major) White
• Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: (Pipers only) Eagle feather
• Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): Royal blue
• Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): (feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major) White
• Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): (Pipers only) Eagle feather
• Queen's Royal Irish Hussars (pipers on caubeen only): White over red
• Royal Irish Rangers: Green
• Royal Corps of Transport (pipers on feather bonnet only): Red over white over blue
• Royal Ulster Rifles: Black
• Seaforth Highlanders (feather bonnet only - Drummers and Drum Major): White
• Seaforth Highlanders (Pipers only) Black Cock Feather

Canadian Army

Hackle as worn by the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. Hackles worn by the QOCH in the Second World War were smaller and less voluminous; peacetime hackles adopted post-war were fuller as illustrated here.

There are also several fusilier regiments in the Canadian Army which wear the hackle (the French-speaking fusilier regiments do not appear to do so):

• Princess Louise Fusiliers: French grey
• Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada: White

Scottish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle include:

• 48th Highlanders of Canada (feather bonnet only): White
• Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
• Black Watch of Canada: Red
• Calgary Highlanders (drummers on feather bonnet only): White ^[2]
• Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa: Royal blue
• Canadian Scottish Regiment (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
• Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment (feather bonnet only): White
• Lorne Scots: Primrose yellow
• Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada: Royal blue (except pipers in full dress, who wear an eagle feather instead).^[3]
• Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (drummers on feather bonnet only): White

Irish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle (on the caubeen) include:

• 2nd Battalion, Irish Regiment of Canada: Green (light blue for senior NCOs and officers)

Indian Army

In the Indian Army, a few selected infantry regiments wear the hackle:

• Brigade of the Guards: Red over yellow
• The Grenadiers: White
• Kumaon Regiment: Green
• Mahar Regiment: Dull cherry
• Maratha Light Infantry: Red over green
• Naga Regiment: Orange
• Rajput Regiment: Maroon over red
• National Cadet Corps: Red

New Zealand Army

• Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment: Green

Malaysian Army

• Royal Military College: Red (to be worn on Annual Passing Out parade only)
• Royal Ranger Regiment: Black

Pakistan Army

• The Punjab Regiment: Green
• The Sindh Regiment: Red
• Northern Light Infantry: White with ceremonial headgear only
• Cadets at Pakistan Military Academy: Red over Green
• 9th Battalion, Azad Kashmir Regiment: Red (commemorates the action in the Leepa Valley, Kashmir in 1972)

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

United States Army

• United States Military Academy: Cadet Officers wear black hackles in their Shako for parades.

References