TOPIC:

Hi,

All information I have found indicates that the slouch hat worn by the men of the Montmorency's Scouts sported a black ostrich feather and a skull and bones badge. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a picture or photo of this badge. Does anyone know what this badge looked like?

Thanks,

Jorrit

Good morning, yes, some members of this regiment did wear a small skull with a pair of bones, crossed, beneath, in the style the 17th Lancers, but, with a scroll with the word "Scout's" the ends of the scroll normally extended between the crossed bones, the whole thing made by incising a small piece of sheet silver.

Good morning Frank, thanks for your reply and description of the badge. Do you know if any photo's or pictures exist of this badge? Or is there only the desription of what it looked like?

JSS
I found this pic of the headgear of Montmorency's Scouts some time ago. I think it was in a military modelling magazine.




regards
IL.

Thanks!

Yes, both actual examples exist as well as photographs, apart from the example I mentioned, in silver, variations will have been made using both felt and melton cloth, cut into the required shape, there was a whole industry in existence at the time, centred around King Williams Town in the Cape Colony as well as both Durban and Pietermaritzburg in Natat, many Commanding Officers of SAMIF regiments were merely seconded and expected their men to wear insignia to distinguish themselves as belonging to a particular regiment, generally speaking, such things are quite scarce today.

l

JSS wrote: Good morning Frank, thanks for your reply and description of the badge. Do you know if any photo's or pictures exist of this badge? Or is there only the desription of what it looked like?