1951 Grandmere scarlet beret

[No.2 V.D.T.U.]

Hi All.

Just picked up a Grandmere beret today; 1951 dated and scarlet.  No, not maroon.  I see from another website that they were authorized for all Canadian Infantry Corps units other than Highland, Scottish, Irish and Rifle but I was just wondering, when the rubber hit the road, did anybody actually wear these things?

Thanks for any help.

Doc.

 

[bick]

I'm really curious too. I have read the same thing. The closest I ever saw were a few army cadet units that wore them back in the 80's. The Winnipeg Grenadier cadets come to mind.

 

[Michael OLeary]

See this newspaper article, which mentions the arrival of a red-bereted infantry battalion of the 27th  Brigade in Germany in 1951.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19511122&id=my5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4uUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6693,3710717&hl=en

Also:

"Red berets of Les Fusiliers de Mont Royal, Algonquin Regiment, Loyal Edmonton Regiment and other units caught and held the sun."

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19511010&id=pYMtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gJkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5479,6106709&hl=en

"The Canadians---a paratroop unit---wore red berets ..."

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19590510&id=BEYqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y04EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7437,3027221&hl=en

 

[Castus]

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/uniforms/berets.htm

A very silly idea, in my opinion. We should have stayed as khaki for most infantry regiments, dark green for rifle/light infantry, maroon for paratroopers, black for armour, dark blue for artillery/signals/RCEME etc....

Looked better, gave distinction to the branches and so on.

 

[Kirkhill]

I seem to remember attending a Hasty Pee change of command at the Belleville armouries in the early 70s where the Hasty Pees were wearing Bus Driver Green with the Cherry Beret on top.

The details escape me, including why I was there .... maybe it had something to do with our Sea Cadet Corps sharing an armoury with one of the Hasty Pees outlying companies in Peterborough.

 

[Loachman]

Some discussion here: http://army.ca/forums/threads/16520/post-1368506.html#msg1368506

That thread, however, is locked.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

........and just for clarification the midnight blue beret the RCN wears is really a black Armour Corps beret  > ;D

 

[exspy]

Just picked up a Grandmere beret today; 1951 dated and scarlet. 

I see from another website that they were authorized for all Canadian Infantry Corps units...

Doc,

The scarlet berets were authorized wear for the 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions, hence your beret being dated 1951.  In some cases, the militia units which contributed companies to the battalions took to wearing the berets as well.  The Hastings and Prince Edward's being a case in point.

I don't believe it was ever authorized wear for all infantry regiments.  Certainly The RCR, the Patricias and the R22eR never wore them.  The demise of the scarlet beret came with the rebadging of the two infantry battalions to The Canadian Guards.  Some militia battalions retained them, and certain army cadet corps as well.

In 1980 I paraded with an officer of the Hasty Pees who, while wearing a scarlet beret with all of his uniforms, told me that even though the battalion wore them it was completely unauthorized.

Cheers,
Dan.

 

[No.2 V.D.T.U.]

Thanks all very much for your input.  I appreciate it.

Doc