British headress during Colonial era

[italwars]

Hello
inspired by a former topic related to K&C minis ..i saw that they also sell separated heads sprues

http://shop.queenandcountryminiatures.co.uk/

 As concern to British of which i have many minis both in kaki and red..from Zulu Wars to Sudan , Boer War and NWF..but i'm only familiar with pith helmet....as i would like to make some conversions..above all for spare men, drivers, crews, medics..ecc...i would like please to get some suggestions on which type of campaign hedagear , except pith helmets, i can use on those fronts....for example i could find some use of those 2 types sold by K&C (pill box capp and glengarry)..but who use which?..both officers, NCOs and privates?..and the iconic Glengarry was it reserved only to Scottish Reg. or ,as it seems from picts, also by others...?
thanks in advance

[Anna Elizabeth]

Someone with more knowledge will amplify, I'm sure, but I have minis and illustrations of both officers and Other Ranks wearing the glengarry on operations.

I *think* the pillbox is more for home/ barracks.

[Hobbit]

I don't have any sources to hand but I'm fairly sure that anything other than the helmet should be considered "undress" items. Working from memory there are a fair few photos reproduced in Barthorpe's "The Frontier Ablaze" showing troops, off duty, in side caps. I'm also fairly sure that there are photos out there of British troops in South Africa 1899-1902 wearing shirtsleeves and side caps, often as the garrisons of the pill boxes.

[italwars]

ere are a fair few photos reproduced in Barthorpe's "The Frontier Ablaze" showing troops, off duty, in side caps. I'm also fairly sure that there are photos out there of British troops in South Africa 1899-1902 wearing shirtsleeves and side caps, often as the garrisons of the pill boxes.

Thanks for the info....when you said Side cap..you mean also Glengarry?..or it's reserved to Scottish soldiers only?

[Hobbit]

I do mean "sidecap", distinct from the Glengarry. I would have thought though that the two are similar enough in 28mm to easily convert from the Glengarry to the sidecap.

It also occurs to me that there are also photos of off duty troops, on the NWF, wearing cap comforters, again reproduced in Barthorpe.

I've just spotted something interesting in a photo that shows sidecaps. Rather than hijack your thread I'll post that photo in a thread of my own but you may want to ceck out the upcoming photo...

[italwars]

Thanks very much Hobbit
this side cap seems something similar the modern ones sported by British soldiers in WW"..ex: Hussars in Western Desert
the Glengarry , at this scale, still seem litlle different..i was asking about, above all, pill box and glengarry..because they are the only ones that appear to be possible to purchase as spares...

[Emir of Askaristan]

The glengarry was adopted in 1868 and was universal by 1874 as the undress cap for all British regiments. Prior to that date you could have a number of different caps in use with undress uniform.

Given its got no brim and doesn't protect the neck at all from the sun it may not have been been popular in "action" (my supposition - but it was lighter after all!).

Being the British Army other types of cap may have continued to be worn as a regimental tradition or by different branches of service or ranks even. The side cap doesn't begin to come into service until later in the 19thC around the mid 1890's and then only by certain units and branches again - it wasn't a universal piece of headgear and wasn't adopted by Scots regiments, who retained the glengarry. A side cap has a distinct flap all round in which is buttoned at the front. A glengarry has no flap or buttons and has ribbons at the rear and usually a diced cap band  and small wool bobble called a "tourie" on top.

Hope that helps a bit.

[italwars]

Thanks very much..Anna, Hobbit and Emir!!!
now i've understand everything..and for what i perceive i can do all sorts of conversions..icluding some ones that could make more coloured kaki clad units...maybe stretcher beareres and spare/working party men in kaki with glengarrys...
thanks again for all the infos

[Anna Elizabeth]

You are quite welcome, italwars.

In my Perry minis that I'm painting as Royal Irish Fusiliers, the officer is wearing a Glengarry. It's a nice spot of color amongst the Khaki drab.

[Plynkes]

The diced band is a Scottish thing. The glengarries of non-Scots regiments were plain. Not as colourful, but much easier to paint. 

[Anna Elizabeth]

The diced band is a Scottish thing. The glengarries of non-Scots regiments were plain. Not as colourful, but much easier to paint. 

Yes indeed. I still need to buy the Highlanders for my army, they will be a challenge to get right.