The hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments.[ Sense 2b.]
In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries, the hackle is worn by some infantry , especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scotland and Northern Ireland origins.
The modern hackle has its origins in a much longer plume, originally referred to by its Scots name, heckle, which was commonly attached to the feather bonnet worn by Highland regiments (now usually only worn by , bagpipes and bandsmen). The smaller version originated in a regimental emblem adopted by the Black Watch, to be worn in the sun helmet issued in hot-weather postings from the 1870s.
British Army
Hackle colours in British fusilier regiments
Modern fusiliers
In the modern
British Army, there is a single regiment of
, 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
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 Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Historic fusilier regiments
There were several other fusilier regiments which have been amalgamated and no longer exist. The hackle colours worn were as follows:
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Lancashire Fusiliers: Primrose yellow
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Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment): White
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Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers: Grey
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Royal Irish Fusiliers: Green
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Royal Northumberland Fusiliers: Red over white
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Royal Scots Fusiliers: White
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Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers: Blue over old gold (orange)
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Royal Welch Fusiliers: White
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Royal Munster Fusiliers: White over green
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Royal Dublin Fusiliers: Green over blue
Non-fusilier regiments
Non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle are:
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Coldstream Guards (bearskin only): Red
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Grenadier Guards (bearskin only): White
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Irish Guards (pipers on caubeen only): St Patrick's blue Also
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Liverpool Scottish (now a platoon of A (Ladysmith) Company, 4th Bn Duke of Lancaster's Regiment): Royal blue
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Liverpool Irish (now A Troop of 208 Battery, 103rd Regiment Royal Artillery): Blue over red
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London Irish Rifles (now D (London Irish Rifles) Company, London Regiment): Green Pipers
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Royal Irish Regiment (as the direct descendant of two regiments of fusiliers): Green
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Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (on pipers' feather bonnet in Full Dress, pipers' / drummers' glengarry /atholl bonnet in No.1 and No.2 dress): White
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Royal Welsh (Other Ranks only): White
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Scots Guards (pipers on feather bonnet only): Blue over red
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The Queen's University Officers' Training Corps: St Patrick's Blue (A Coy Caubeen Only)
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Royal Air Force (pipe band only): Blue
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Welsh Guards (bearskin only): White-green-white
Royal Regiment of Scotland
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:
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Royal Scots Borderers (1 SCOTS): Black
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Royal Highland Fusiliers (2 SCOTS): White
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Black Watch (3 SCOTS): Red
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The Highlanders (4 SCOTS): Blue
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Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 SCOTS): Green
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52nd Lowland Volunteers (6 SCOTS): Grey
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51st Highland Volunteers (7 SCOTS): Purple
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.)[This is illustrated in ] 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. Tradition holds that the black hackle originated as a Scottish tradition of wearing a black feather in your hat to signify you have an ongoing quarrel with someone.
Other regiments
Former non-fusilier regiments, now amalgamated, which also wore the hackle were:
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40 (Ulster) Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals: Navy blue, sky blue and green.
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Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: (feather bonnet only - drummers and drum major): White
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Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: (Pipers only) Black cock feather
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Black Watch: Red
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The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles): Black
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Gordon Highlanders: Feather bonnet only - Drummers and drum major: White, Bandsmen: Red and white
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Gordon Highlanders: (Pipers only) black cock feather
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Highland Light Infantry: White over red
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The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): Royal blue
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The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): (feather bonnet only - drummers and drum major) White
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The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons): (Pipers only) Eagle feather
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Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: Royal blue
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Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: (feather bonnet only - drummers and drum major) White
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Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders: (Pipers only) Eagle feather
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Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): Royal blue
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Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): (feather bonnet only - drummers and drum major) White
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Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons): (Pipers only) Eagle feather
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Queen's Royal Irish Hussars (pipers on caubeen only): White over red
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Queen's Royal Hussars (pipers on caubeen only): White over red
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Royal Irish Rangers: Green
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Royal Corps of Transport (pipers on feather bonnet only): Red over white over blue
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Royal Ulster Rifles: Black
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Seaforth Highlanders (feather bonnet only - drummers and drum major): White
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Seaforth Highlanders (Pipers only) Black cock feather
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No. 9 Commando and No. 11 (Scottish) Commando: Black
Royal Navy
-
: red. On 8 January every year, members of the ship's company wore a hackle to mark their alliance with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Other armies
Australian Army
There are five Army Reserve Regiments with Highland Companies in the Australian Army which wear the hackle:
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2nd/17th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment
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41st Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment
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5th/6th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment
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10th/27th Regiment, The Royal South Australia Regiment
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16th Battalion, The Royal Western Australia Regiment
Canadian Army
There are several fusilier regiments in the
Canadian Army which wear the hackle (the French-speaking fusilier regiments do not appear to do so):
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The Princess Louise Fusiliers: French grey
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The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada: White
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Royal 22e Régiment: Red (not otherwise considered a fusilier regiment, they wear fusilier full dress because of their alliance with the Royal Welch Fusiliers)
Scottish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle include:
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48th Highlanders of Canada (feather bonnet only): White
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The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
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The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada: Red
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The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians) (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
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The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own): Royal blue
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The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
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The Essex and Kent Scottish (feather bonnet only): White
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The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment): Primrose yellow
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The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada: Royal blue (except pipers in full dress, who wear an eagle feather instead).
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The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (drummers on feather bonnet only): White
Irish-influenced non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle (on the caubeen):
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2nd Battalion, Irish Regiment of Canada: Green (light blue for senior NCOs and officers)
Other regiments which wear the hackle in the bearskin include:
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The Governor General's Foot Guards: Red
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The Canadian Grenadier Guards: White
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Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent: White
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Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal: White
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Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke: White
Dutch Army
A few infantry regiments in the Dutch Army wear the hackle:
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Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard: Black
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Korps Commandotroepen: Black
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Regiment Limburgse Jagers: Red
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Regiment Infanterie Oranje Gelderland: Red
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Korps Luchtdoelartillerie Black over red
Indian Army
In the
Indian Army, a few selected infantry regiments wear the hackle:
Malaysian Army
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Royal Military College: Red (to be worn on Annual Passing Out parade only)
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Royal Ranger Regiment: Black
New Zealand Army
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Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment: Green
Pakistan Army
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The Punjab Regiment: Green
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Sind Regiment: Red
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Northern Light Infantry: White with ceremonial headgear only
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Cadets at Pakistan Military Academy: Red over green
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9th Battalion, Azad Kashmir Regiment: Red (commemorates the action in the Leepa Valley, Kashmir in 1972)
Sri Lanka Army
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Sri Lanka Armoured Corps: White and red
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Sri Lanka Light Infantry: White
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Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment: Black, yellow and green
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Gemunu Watch: Red
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Gajaba Regiment: Yellow
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Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment: Maroon, green and yellow
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Mechanized Infantry Regiment: Black and maroon
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Special Forces Regiment: Black and red
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Military Intelligence Corps: Dark blue, yellow, and dark green
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Sri Lanka Army Service Corps: Blue, white and yellow
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Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps: Hackle yellow, blue and dull cherry red
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Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps: Red, yellow and blue
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Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: Oxford blue, golden yellow and signal red
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Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps: Blue and saffron
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Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps: Beach brown
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Sri Lanka Rifle Corps: Green and yellow
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Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps: Green and red
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Sri Lanka National Guard: Red, white and blue
South African Army
Scottish- and Irish-influenced regiments which wear the hackle include:
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South African Irish Regiment: Green
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Transvaal Scottish Regiment: Red
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Witwatersrand Rifles: Black
Swedish Army
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Life Guards: Grenadiers wear white hackles on their bearskins.
United States Army
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United States Military Academy: Cadet Officers wear black hackles on their for parades.
