Forage Caps in Army Cadets

[boxerboy50]

I was just given some phamplets for recruiting this summer and in the section devoted to Army Cadets theres a picture of CWO wearing a Forge Cap with a white ribbon. Can someone explain? Is it optional?

[Meathead]

Now I could be wrong(how many times have I said that :p ) but I think that one of the guard units still uses the Forage cap. That being said lots of Army Cadet units dress in thier affiliated units "traditional uniforms". Ie Kilts and cap badges and the like. Hope that answers your question.

[HammerOfHope]

Some corps let their RSM wear the officer's tunic, so why not the peaked forage cap as well?

[The Blue Tory]

Now I could be wrong(how many times have I said that :p ) but I think that one of the guard units still uses the Forage cap. That being said lots of Army Cadet units dress in thier affiliated units "traditional uniforms". Ie Kilts and cap badges and the like. Hope that answers your question.
I know one corps that does... that corps is kind of underachieving though ;) lol

[Lau-Chapdelaine]

Guard units in Canada (Govenor General's Horse Guard, Govenor General's Foot Guards, and Canadian Grenadier Guards) wear forge caps. Now on an individual corps basis, this may change. The CCG in montreal wear forge caps with a red ribbon. I am from the GGFG in Ottawa and sergeants and above wear forge caps with the white ribbon and I believe the GGHG in Toronto also wears them with the white ribbon. In any case, joining a Guards unit is a great choice.

Up the Guards!

[Zipperhead]

A Guard unit may wear the Forage Cap as part of their Ceremonial uniform, however they will not be wearing it with their DEU. This form of head-dress went the way of the cuckoo many many moons ago. (ie gone, extinct, no-more). So my quick answer to this would be that no Cadet would have reason to wear a Forage Cap as Cadet units do not usually wear Ceremonials.

[Planetofjenn]

At Rocky Mountian NACSTC many of the staff cadets (well, the guards anyway) wear their forge cap when in C1 and 2 dress and for the mess dinner. There are some units that do still wear cerimonial dress, if I could of found one I would of worn one when wearing patrols.

[boxerboy50]

Whats DEU? I know it stands for Distinctive Environmental Uniform. But what is it? Combats or your blues? Looking forward to doing DT concentration with the bwoys from Mississauga. Rock on 845!

[Meathead]

Dress Uniform.

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/photoarchive/HiRes/%212004/061704/RE2004-0043-010d.jpg

[CI Dumaran]

I am fully aware of the GGFG as I had the great (fun times) oppertunity to staff at COnnaught... Are there anyother units that officially authorize forage cap wear for cadets?

Thanks all

Cheers!

[The Blue Tory]

Whats DEU? I know it stands for Distinctive Environmental Uniform. But what is it? Combats or your blues? Looking forward to doing DT concentration with the bwoys from Mississauga. Rock on 845!
ah yes 845 is a respectable squadron, you should see if 2824 would be willing to join in, since 2824 and 845 have had a close relationship of late, with attendance at each others annuals, them bringing few of us gliding and all as well

[boxerboy50]

Yea. I did TAG Drill Team Try-outs at the COPS facility. I had the opportunity to meet some of there cadets and NCOs. Don't remember any, but i'm sure it wouldn't be a bad idea to invite you guys. You guys, assuming you go to that Corps. PM me and we can see if we can put something together as NCOs!

[jgoguen]

What's this...do I see some initative forming here? The NCO is going to try to get something organized? Good job :D

[CI Dumaran]

What's this...do I see some initative forming here? The NCO is going to try to get something organized? Good job :D

<chuckles to self>

[CWO Law]

Since the pic mentioned is of my ugly mug I might as well shed some light. Guard regiments wear forage caps but only regiments of foot (infantry). In the uk there are 5 Guards regiments of foot (Grenadier, Coldstream, Irish, Scottish,Welsh), in Canada we only have the Grenadiers and the Foot Guards. Every unit forage cap is different colour per unit, just like the number of buttons worn on scarlets or patrol blues but thats a different story.

the GGHG (horse guards) are another cdn gds regt. but since they're cavalry to my knowledge they dont use forage caps, but do have those nice shinny helmets with big plume. Same for brit Gds regt.

Guard regiments are the only units in the army allowed to still wear forage caps. BTW officers of Gds regt have anall blue forage cap with gold braid on the peak, no matter what unit. only the buttons and badge change.

Now then, we now go into rank distinction on the peak for ORs

single brass line...gdsm (pvt) and cpl
2 brass lines...mcpl
3 brass lines...sgt and csgt (wo) (csgt=colour sgt)
thick gold braid...mwo and cwo

when i get home from my exchange I'll try to post pics for you guys to see what I mean.

[M Lambert]

oo talking bout british in that post:

Guards (UK) for the queen (IE the ones who stand outside the big house in london ;) ) where funny black furry hats i cant remember the name of, when mounted on horseback they wear ceremonial clothing which is gold breastplate, gold plumey thing mentioned etc.

Regular headdress in the army is a beret, no matter what corps.
You then get number2 dress with a peaked parade cap.
Then no1's for officers with a different peaked parade cap.

Forge cap here is a DPM baseball cap type thingy :D

as far as i know anyway, but forge caps required me to do a search as funny word for a hat :)

[N. McKay]

as far as i know anyway, but forge caps required me to do a search as funny word for a hat :)

That's because the word is "forage" (a difference that's almost impossible to make out in speech).

[jgoguen]

Yea, well, it's spelled right now, so hopefully there's no other confusion :D

[CWO Law]

A Guard unit may wear the Forage Cap as part of their Ceremonial uniform, however they will not be wearing it with their DEU. This form of head-dress went the way of the cuckoo many many moons ago. (ie gone, extinct, no-more). So my quick answer to this would be that no Cadet would have reason to wear a Forage Cap as Cadet units do not usually wear Ceremonials.


Now...not to be mean...but...are you a Guard???

EVERY Guard, wether it be from Gdsm. to Col.wears a forage cap when in uniform, incl. DEU. In scarlets they wear them too, except ceremonial when the wear the bearskin cap, and yes its CAP not HAT. The only time we wear berets is in combats. And again this is for EVERY Guard wether they be Brit or Cdn.

[piper-from-camp]

The infantry regiments that are known as 'guards' wear the forage caps with their DEU uniforms. They also wear the beret with their DEU's sometimes as well, anyone heard of 'dress of the day'? That is how it works.

That being said, forage caps look ever so silly. You have to walk around with your nose pointed at the sky to see anything.

[The Blue Tory]

The infantry regiments that are known as 'guards' wear the forage caps with their DEU uniforms. They also wear the beret with their DEU's sometimes as well, anyone heard of 'dress of the day'? That is how it works.

That being said, forage caps look ever so silly. You have to walk around with your nose pointed at the sky to see anything.
they don't look silly... They look professional and dignified...

[N. McKay]

That being said, forage caps look ever so silly. You have to walk around with your nose pointed at the sky to see anything.

Nonsense. And what's more, they keep the sun and rain off your head, and can be put on instantly -- no tugging this way and that -- right out of the box. All a beret's good for is making your head sweat! :D

[big_castor]

and can be put on instantly -- no tugging this way and that -- right out of the box.

Same thing with a wedge, with the extra advantage of being easy to tuck in a pocket !

[The Blue Tory]

Same thing with a wedge, with the extra advantage of being easy to tuck in a pocket !
though a head dress is designed to be on your head not in your pocket...

[M Lambert]

That's because the word is "forage" (a difference that's almost impossible to make out in speech).
ah - good job then got the right one :)

[Caz]

..until you're on the flight line. I love my wedge.

[CI Dumaran]

I have worn all... (tried a sea cdt cap (eww) and wore a forage cap for my previous work)

I was quite impressed with the look of cadets in forage caps (IE GGFG @ connaught 2003) but I will have to say that berets are by far the most practical. Portable and comfortable.

Cheers!

PS... Anyone else bored and unemployeed... Nah, just me.

[hartleymartin]

Does someone have a close-up picture of that fellow with the maroon beret?

That Beret Badge looks remarkably like the one worn by RAN/ANC Petty Officers with berets and Akubra Hats. I should get a picture of me with my beret on...

[N. McKay]

Same thing with a wedge, with the extra advantage of being easy to tuck in a pocket !

And the further advantage, I'm told, that it can be unfolded to cover the ears and chin if you take a few stitches out here and there...

[JMcKay]

Does someone have a close-up picture of that fellow with the maroon beret?

That Beret Badge looks remarkably like the one worn by RAN/ANC Petty Officers with berets and Akubra Hats. I should get a picture of me with my beret on...

Here is a better picture of the brass in question.

It is the cap brass of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. :army:

[M Lambert]

where is it#?

[JMcKay]

It's there now, sorry about that folks! ;)

[hartleymartin]

From a distance that did look like a PO's badge. :p

Our PO's badge looks similar, except that it is a silver fouled anchor in the centre.

On vrey very very old forage caps, there were two buttons on the front. When you undid those, the sides of thee cap could be folded down over your ears and I think you did the two buttons up again and they would be under your chin. I'm not quite sure about it though...

[GGHG_Cadet]

Alright, I know this is an old thread but I can't let it get by. I am a Governor General's Horse Guard. Our RSM wears a forage cap with his ceremonial uniform. IT is dark blue with a red stripe around the middle. Our whole AFU wears the forage cap with their ceremonial uniforms. The only exception to this is the Calvalry squadron which wears metal pith helmets. Those are big metal helmets with a plume and a spike, baiscally something that you'd see in Lord Of The Rings. The regiment has worn these two headresses for the last century or more.

[Morse-2784]

A Guard unit may wear the Forage Cap as part of their Ceremonial uniform, however they will not be wearing it with their DEU. This form of head-dress went the way of the cuckoo many many moons ago. (ie gone, extinct, no-more). So my quick answer to this would be that no Cadet would have reason to wear a Forage Cap as Cadet units do not usually wear Ceremonials.

I know MWO Law cleared that the actual military Guards wear the forage cap, but also in our corps, all cadets of the rank of C/seargeant adn above wear the forage caps. Our corps is highly based on drill and decor, where when you get promoted to C/Mcpl (me!) you get a white belt with a brass clasp to wear on your tunic and a laynard (a special little braided rope with the units colors that goes around your sleeve), when you get to seargent you get the forage caps and a red sash and when you reach Colour Seargent or higher (WO) you get white gloves to wear for grad and annual parades as well as all the other pizazz.

Oh and btw, forage caps are designed to look smart and intimidating as they force the person wearing them not only to keep their chin (and nose) in the air tehy also make them look "down" on other cadets which can be really intimidating when you are getting in trouble for not having proper dress or something, not that thats happened to me.

[Hammarskjold]

Some corps let their RSM wear the officer's tunic, so why not the peaked forage cap as well?

They're both cleared by CATOs. Permission for RSM/CWOs to wear a CF tunic is unequivocal; the note about regimental dress is vague enough that it's really left up to the discretion of the corps and their affiliated regiment.