Earn the maroon beret!

Maroon · Post by **Maroon** » Wed 30 Jun, 2004 11:07 am

Mr El Perez,

your Point is?

I was simply stating an opinion, that of an ex Para, not Mariine as JR obviously is......

The Banter continues old chap and long may it do so

chrisfow · Post by **chrisfow** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 11:49 am

I think that the "not wearing the beret till you have earnt it" should apply to every regiment. Officers don't get to wear their regimental beret untill they have completed their final ex at Sandbags, and even then only for five minutes as a teaser.

Why do county regiments not award their berets until recruits have earnt them? Is it just the cost factor of issuing a "training" beret before a soldier passes, say, stage II and them giving them another beret or what?

Chris

bigbart · Post by **bigbart** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 1:42 pm

That's what I was saying. NO regiment should get a beret or cap badge until they join the regiment, in my opinion. It would spur some people on, if they get the feeling that they are not a "real soldier" as they haven't earned their beret and badge. Why should a new recruit.. basically a civvy... be allowed to wear the regimental insignia they haven't earned?

Maroon · Post by **Maroon** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 1:43 pm

The only reason I can think of is that they all wear pretty much the same colour, Khaki or dark blue/black, Para Regt, RM, SAS have a distinctive Beret that stands out. Also along with the AAC, Para Regt don't wear the peaked hat that other line regiments wear with their No.2's, just the Beret...

When the Regiment was first born so to speak it was not a regiment, more an amalgamation of County Regiments thrown together to form an Airborne division in line with what Hitler was doing with his Blitz Kreig (sp?) tactic, but the Fallschirmjager after Crete was put on the back burner BY Hitler just as Churchill was just getting his Div's going....General 'Boy' Browning's wife, Daphne De Mornier (sp?) was rumoured to have come up with the idea of the Maroon Beret, from some French Novel she'd written..

Anyway enough broken history, the Beret has always had to be earned, orginally you had to have passed P-Coy and served with an Airborne unit to have the right to wear the Beret but now I think even the REMFS (Non P-Coy passed REMFS) get issued with it, as they serve with the Bgde...

Now you say even Cadets get to wear it, well I've lost any respect I had for the Head Shed and decision makers at Whitehall

chrisfow · Post by **chrisfow** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 2:15 pm

I don't think that cadets can wear it, it's just some units are a law unto themselves. I heard about non-P Coy passouts wearing the red beret - disgraceful. Isn't there a unit that serves with the royals that also wear the green lids despite not taking all arms commando?

bigbart · Post by **bigbart** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 3:05 pm

The commando cap came about in a similar way. Commandoes were a mixture of different regiments, so to add uniformity, they came up with a beret with a distinctive green colour, the colour supposedly came from a picture of a salamander(?).... I don't know about units working with RM wearing the commando beret... units usually attatched to marines are Artillery, Engineers and REME but they all have to do the AACC. If they hand out the beret to anyone who hasn't done AACC.... people who have actually done the course will lose any sense of pride. I hope to god that they don't.

El Prez · Post by **El Prez** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 3:34 pm

Just to set the record straight I posted this yonks ago. Nobody is ever given a green beret, if you want to work alongside Royal you have to do the AACC and complete it in the necessary times etc.. (Except Duke of E)

Historical info:
During the early days of Commandos, the men continued to wear their own regimental headress and cap badge. There were 79 different ones in No1 Commando alone. Towards the end of 1942 the officers of this commando decided that matters should be regularised and that a beret would be most practicable. The Royal Tank Regt had worn a black beret and the recently formed Para Regt had chosen Red. No 1 Commandos flash was a green salamander going through fire, which gave a choice between green, yellow or red. Green was deemed to be the most suitable and a local firm (remember they were based at Achnacarry) of Tam-o-Shanter makers in Irvine (Ayrshire) produced a beret made from some green cloth of the colour worn today.

Maroon · Post by **Maroon** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 4:06 pm

I wish Para reg was the same, we had some chicks attached to the Red Freds who wore the Beret with their RAC Capbadge, at least the bint with you guy's had to do the Course and good on her for having a go

Maroon · Post by **Maroon** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 4:06 pm

Sorry, thats W.R.A.C. not RAC or AA for that matter

dannyd · Post by **dannyd** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 4:16 pm

Maroon wrote:orginally you had to have passed P-Coy and served with an Airborne unit to have the right to wear the Beret but now I think even the REMFS (Non P-Coy passed REMFS) get issued with it, as they serve with the Bgde...

Have a look at this thread mate as it's on a similar topic:

viewtopic.php?t=6116&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Maroon · Post by **Maroon** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 4:49 pm

Yep, looks familiar.......

bigbart · Post by **bigbart** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 5:03 pm

So i was right about the salamander? Didn't think they gave the green beret away that easily though.

El Prez · Post by **El Prez** » Thu 01 Jul, 2004 8:13 pm

Didn't think they gave the green beret away that easily though.

I know I've got a migraine bart, but I'm missing your point. The AACC requires candidates to train prior to the course, attend CTC, complete the physical and tactical training, then return to their parent unit, which is usually attached to a Commando unit.
Capt Tattersall failed her first attempt because her fieldcraft was inadequate.

bigbart · Post by **bigbart** » Fri 02 Jul, 2004 9:06 am

Didn't think they gave the green beret away that easily though.[/quote] El Prez...i was saying this in response to someone saying that they thought some units got their commando lid without doing AACC. I KNOW that AACC isn't supposed to be a walk in the park.

Paratrooper01 · Post by **Paratrooper01** » Fri 02 Jul, 2004 11:25 am

I saw someone in my year at school wearing a Green beanie hat with the Commando Dagger and slogan as a badge on the front

A few people were given them from a Capt in the Marines who came to help out at one of our field days. After he had left, our RSM made those people take off the badge from the beanie, to leave just a harmless green hat. However, some little w*nkers hid their hats and i saw this person wear his yesterday (his name is Alexander Harris for anyone wanting to know.)

Anyway, i challenged him and threatened that, if any serving or ex RM saw him with that hat on, he would be given a hard time by them.

He is a t*at anyway, i hope some RM (or anyone for that matter) kicks him in

James

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