Updated Army Service Dress project

[Winds]

Yes. 56 years is not much significance in comparison to the 15 years when the “Army Blue” beret was the default Canadian colour after the British introduced it the beret during the Korean War.

Yes, at this point the green beret has its own history, along with the DEUs, as being a hold over from unification. The green beret was specifically chosen during unification as a neutral colour that avoided association with any previous branch of service. What I meant was there was no historical significance to the colour selection itself when it came to the army... it's just the colour still worn by default by any branch/regiment that has yet to abandon it since unification. Since unification, the CAF has added/readopted berets in red, light blue, dark blue, tan, maroon, orange, black, khaki, etc.

Perhaps If you reread my post, I clearly stated "Midnight blue is sort of the pre-unification default headdress colour for the army"... I never said default "beret" colour on purpose. The British Army has been wearing dark (midnight) blue uniforms, including hats (kepis, shakos, side caps, etc.), since the 18th century.

 

[McG]

Why can't we keep rifle green uniforms? What could be more Canadian - it was, after all, here, in North America, that this was invented ...

... dark green is a much more appropriate colour for Canadian soldiers' uniforms than is Indian khaki.

... semi-seriously.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Stable belts do look sick though. As a crewman I for one welcome a Cav tradition.

There are some pre-requisites for tasteful stable belt fashion though

Troops blast top brass after lessons on nutrition from obese squaddies

Furious soldiers have spoken to this newspaper after we obtained figures that reveal hardly any of the Army’s nearly 9,000 troops diagnosed as obese have been medically discharged.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Kilted]

Not sure where to put this, but, has anyone heard rumors on big dress changes being made? I heard that inf units will switch to a dark blue beret, Abn retain maroon, rifles green but no mention of Highlanders. As part todays COs make the decision in the next year and it becomes irrevocable. Cadpat (new) will be in with larger belt loops to facilitate stable belts and tucked in shirts. Sam Browns for officers on a brown sorta serge brit uni (pix elsewhere) Offr headdress beret or forage cap. Some tampering with messkits as well. Rule F%%%%%% Britannia!

Highlanders (and Lowlanders) do not wear berets. Balmoral colours can vary between regiments, generally without any significant beyond being a unique way to identify the regiment. Torrie colour is also used for this.

 

[FJAG]

If they want to go historical . . .

View attachment 89625

That was a brief and unfortunate phase of headdress that I'm happy to say was before my time. By then we'd gone back to tiny red cloth patches behind the gunner badge. Like this old WW2 one but on a blue beret and with all the Brasso and green crap cleaned off of it - Jeez - I can't believe that's the best picture that I could find..

 

[FJAG]

Is that Signals? If so, he probably had to buy it for himself...

Naw. Those were issued for wear with battledress starting around the mid fifties and called a Cap, Peaked, Winter. There was a near identical cap that was made of light cloth for wear with the Field Summer Olive Drab uniform and generally referred to a s the "bush cap."

 

[daftandbarmy]

Highlanders (and Lowlanders) do not wear berets. Balmoral colours can vary between regiments, generally without any significant beyond being a unique way to identify the regiment. Torrie colour is also used for this.

The Nova Scotia Hldrs enters the chat

 

[RangerRay]

If they want to go historical . . .

View attachment 89625

Gad, those are hideous!

 

[Blackadder1916]

Gad, those are hideous!

But their mothers probably thought they were handsome young men.

 

[Rifleman62]

Perhaps all Veh Techs will be ranked as Farriers in Armoured Regiments.

 

[ueo]

No but how did you hear it as a retired member? Did the 3rd hand briefing you got include "purple monkey dishwasher" at the end of it? You might be getting telephone game hyperbole.

I trust my sources, but will check with others.

 

[FJAG]

All this stuff about old uniforms made me think about one of my favourite pieces of kit.

When, as a sixteen year old kid, I qualified as a driver, arty, wheeled I was issued my drivers' gauntlets. They looked like these but only in black.

I have no idea how they were supposed to help me when driving a deuce and a half gun tractor - maybe working under the hood on the engine - but boy they sure made you feel special.

It certainly left me with the lesson that sometimes its the littlest of things that can mean a lot to a young ranker's morale.

 

[PrairieFella]

Perhaps all Veh Techs will be ranked as Farriers in Armoured Regiments.

Only in horse guard units haha. Unsure if the position still exists in the Canadian units with mounted troops (LdSH(RC) and GGHG) but in the British Army the farrier is an actual position still.

 

[PrairieFella]

All this stuff about old uniforms made me think about one of my favourite pieces of kit.

When, as a sixteen year old kid, I qualified as a driver, arty, wheeled I was issued my drivers' gauntlets. They looked like these but only in black.

I have no idea how they were supposed to help me when driving a deuce and a half gun tractor - maybe working under the hood on the engine - but boy they sure made you feel special.

It certainly left me with the lesson that sometimes its the littlest of things that can mean a lot to a young ranker's morale.

Those gloves are wicked. They are in fact for driver's maintenance, so you don't burn the shit outta your hands.

 

[MilEME09]

Perhaps all Veh Techs will be ranked as Farriers in Armoured Regiments.

That requires a black smithing course, which then would mean we meet the pre req for spec pay. CAF wouldn't want that

 

[CountDC]

God! Do I remember that. It was almost fluorescent purple, and Stores did not consider it cause for replacement, so if you were one of the unlucky ones to get it, you had it for a long time (unless you were going to your JLC/SLC ).

The army had their purple combats too. I still have them as they felt the navy person working at an army unit absolutely had to have all the army gear. 12 years and most of if never used. At least the purple combats were used twice.

The Nova Scotia Hldrs enters the chat

View attachment 89630

NS Highlanders says it all. Stick the tag on and send for disposal.

 

[boredtoon]

Not sure where to put this, but, has anyone heard rumors on big dress changes being made? I heard that inf units will switch to a dark blue beret, Abn retain maroon, rifles green but no mention of Highlanders. As part todays COs make the decision in the next year and it becomes irrevocable. Cadpat (new) will be in with larger belt loops to facilitate stable belts and tucked in shirts. Sam Browns for officers on a brown sorta serge brit uni (pix elsewhere) Offr headdress beret or forage cap. Some tampering with messkits as well. Rule F%%%%%% Britannia!

The rumint on this has prompted my first ever post in 3 years of lurking.

I have been keeping an eye on this project because I hate the current army service dress and I have had the chance to talk to a couple guys on the project. There is currently no talk of switching berets to any colour unless it is specifically asked for by a corps or regiment. Cadpat MT and CCUE (consolidated combat uniform ensemble) project which is developing the new combat uniforms has images available on the web. You would have seen guys trialing the uniforms at BNs across the CA. The shirts will remain untucked. The new service dress pants and skirt will have larger belt loops to accommodate optional stables belts as approved by unit or corps RSOs. You can find some photos of this from CANSEC and enough digging on ACIMS will get you the actual signed paperwork with these details.

As for belts, head dress, etc. Yes. The new service dress will be in a khaki/olive scheme. The colours actually match the colours of the CADPAT MT pattern, and the new army branding logo (that pixelated thing everyone hated). This is deliberate. Sam Browne belts for officers and CWOs when service dress is worn with ceremonial accoutrements, i.e. medals or swords. Cloth belt otherwise. NCMs will wear the white leather belt with locket when in parade orders of dress, otherwise medals when worn will be with the cloth belt. Head dress for all will be the forage cap in the same material and colour as the uniform itself, but there is some discussion to giving leeway to units to use the Patrols (1C/1D) forage cap in place of the standard one. When in orders of dress where the service dress jacket is not worn, head dress will be beret.

As of right now, I have heard of no changes to mess dress, or seen anything on the last set of Canadian Army Dress and Ceremonial Committee minutes about this. However, Patrols (1C/1D) are now authorized for wear army wide, not just for reservists (Unit RSO depending) and 1D is an acceptable substitute for mess dress.

If you are on instagram, keep an eye on ethos_and_eris_project, he recently submitted an ATIP to the federal government requesting all meeting minutes, images, emails, records of decision, etc regarding the new army service dress, RMC uniforms, and other non-operational clothing related items.

 

[PrairieFella]

The rumint on this has prompted my first ever post in 3 years of lurking.

I have been keeping an eye on this project because I hate the current army service dress and I have had the chance to talk to a couple guys on the project. There is currently no talk of switching berets to any colour unless it is specifically asked for by a corps or regiment. Cadpat MT and CCUE (consolidated combat uniform ensemble) project which is developing the new combat uniforms has images available on the web. You would have seen guys trialing the uniforms at BNs across the CA. The shirts will remain untucked. The new service dress pants and skirt will have larger belt loops to accommodate optional stables belts as approved by unit or corps RSOs. You can find some photos of this from CANSEC and enough digging on ACIMS will get you the actual signed paperwork with these details.

As for belts, head dress, etc. Yes. The new service dress will be in a khaki/olive scheme. The colours actually match the colours of the CADPAT MT pattern, and the new army branding logo (that pixelated thing everyone hated). This is deliberate. Sam Browne belts for officers and CWOs when service dress is worn with ceremonial accoutrements, i.e. medals or swords. Cloth belt otherwise. NCMs will wear the white leather belt with locket when in parade orders of dress, otherwise medals when worn will be with the cloth belt. Head dress for all will be the forage cap in the same material and colour as the uniform itself, but there is some discussion to giving leeway to units to use the Patrols (1C/1D) forage cap in place of the standard one. When in orders of dress where the service dress jacket is not worn, head dress will be beret.

As of right now, I have heard of no changes to mess dress, or seen anything on the last set of Canadian Army Dress and Ceremonial Committee minutes about this. However, Patrols (1C/1D) are now authorized for wear army wide, not just for reservists (Unit RSO depending) and 1D is an acceptable substitute for mess dress.

If you are on instagram, keep an eye on ethos_and_eris_project, he recently submitted an ATIP to the federal government requesting all meeting minutes, images, emails, records of decision, etc regarding the new army service dress, RMC uniforms, and other non-operational clothing related items.

Thanks for the post. The patrol forage cap would look sharp with the new dress uniforms, at least in armoured units where those headdresses were more common. I will caution with Ethos and Eris though, the guy obviously has an agenda and wastes a lot of people's time with unserious or obviously unanswerable questions. Just in the spirit of full disclosure.

 

[boredtoon]

Thanks for the post. The patrol forage cap would look sharp with the new dress uniforms, at least in armoured units where those headdresses were more common. I will caution with Ethos and Eris though, the guy obviously has an agenda and waste a lot of people's time with unserious or obviously unanswerable questions. Just in the spirit of full disclosure.

He definitely has an agenda. But about 1 in 15 of his ATIPs are interesting.

 

[PrairieFella]

He definitely has an agenda. But about 1 in 15 of his ATIPs are interesting.

As an aside, have any of you been inundated with his ATIPs yet?