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 regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish 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 drummers, pipers and bandsmen). The smaller version originated in a regimental emblem adopted by the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, 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 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 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.
Historical fusilier regiments 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 old gold (orange) Royal Welch Fusiliers: White Royal Munster Fusiliers: White over green Royal Dublin Fusiliers: Green over blue
Non-fusilier regiments
Non-fusilier regiments which wear the hackle are:
Coldstream Guards (bearskin only): Red Grenadier Guards (bearskin only): White Irish Guards (pipers on caubeen only): St Patrick's blue [Also worn on bearskin] Liverpool Scottish (now a platoon of A (Ladysmith) Company, 4th Bn Duke of Lancaster's Regiment): Royal blue Liverpool Irish (now A Troop of 208 Battery, 103rd Regiment Royal Artillery): Blue over red London Irish Rifles (now D (London Irish Rifles) Company, London Regiment): Green [Pipers wear St Patrick's blue] Royal Irish Regiment (as the direct descendant 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 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:
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 52nd Lowland Volunteers (6 SCOTS): Grey 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:
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 Queen's Royal 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 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:
2nd/17th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment 41st Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment 5th/6th Battalion, The Royal Victoria Regiment 10th/27th Regiment, The Royal South Australia Regiment 16th Battalion, The Royal Western Australia Regiment
Canadian Army
Canadian infantry regiments are organized, titled and uniformed in full dress as foot guards, line and light infantry, fusiliers, rifles, and Scottish and kilted Irish infantry. All regiments, except for line and light infantry regiments, wear hackle or plume on their ceremonial uniform headdresses. Further, there are also line infantry regiments that dress as other type, thus wear hackle on their headdresses. These are Canadian Army infantry regiments and the colors of their hackle or plume.
Foot guards:
The Governor General's Foot Guards: scarlet The Canadian Grenadier Guards: white
Line and light infantry:
Royal 22e Régiment (uniformed as fusiliers): scarlet The Royal Regiment of Canada (uniformed as foot guards): scarlet over white
Fusiliers:
Les Fusiliers du S-Laurent: white Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal: white The Princess Louise Fusiliers: grey Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke: white
Rifles:
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada: black over scarlet Les Voltigeurs de Québec: dark green The Brockville Rifles: black over scarlet The Royal Winnipeg Rifles: black The Royal Regina Rifles: black over scarlet
Scottish and kilted Irish infantry:
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada: red The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (notwithstanding title): white The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment): primrose Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders: white The Nova Scotia Highlanders: white The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own): blue The Essex and Kent Scottish: white 48th Highlanders of Canada: white The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's): white The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment: white The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada: blue The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians): white The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada: white The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's): white The Irish Regiment of Canada: light blue for officers and CWOs, green for NCMs The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own): blue
Dutch Army A few infantry regiments in the Dutch Army wear the hackle:
Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard: Black Korps Commandotroepen: Black Regiment Limburgse Jagers: Red Regiment Infanterie Oranje Gelderland: Red Korps Luchtdoelartillerie Black over red
Indian Army In the Indian Army, a few selected infantry regiments wear the hackle: 8th Gorkha Rifles: Red Brigade of the Guards: Red over yellow The Grenadiers: White Kumaon Regiment: Green Madras Regiment: Black Mahar Regiment: Dull cherry Maratha Light Infantry: Red over green Naga Regiment: Orange Rajput Regiment: Maroon over red National Cadet Corps: Red
Malaysian Army Royal Military College: Red (to be worn on Annual Passing Out parade only) Royal Ranger Regiment: Black
New Zealand Army Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment: Green
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)
Sri Lanka Army Sri Lanka Armoured Corps: White and red Sri Lanka Light Infantry: White Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment: Black, yellow and green Gemunu Watch: Red Gajaba Regiment: Yellow Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment: Maroon, green and yellow Mechanized Infantry Regiment: Black and maroon Special Forces Regiment: Black and red Military Intelligence Corps: Dark blue, yellow, and dark green Sri Lanka Army Service Corps: Blue, white and yellow Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps: Hackle yellow, blue and dull cherry red Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps: Red, yellow and blue Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: Oxford blue, golden yellow and signal red Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps: Blue and saffron Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps: Beach brown Sri Lanka Rifle Corps: Green and yellow Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps: Green and red Sri Lanka National Guard: Red, white and blue
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
Swedish Army Life Guards: Grenadiers wear white hackles on their bearskins.
United States Army United States Military Academy: Cadet Officers wear black hackles on their shakos for parades.
References
fr:Plume#Utilisation ornementale