The queen's guards continue to parade in bearskins regardless of the sweltering heat or the state of Brexit negotiations.
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But here's the recurring explanation we flagged: old-time traders of bearskins would sell the skins they had yet to collect, a short-sell that bets on the price dropping.
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One company of the 1st King's Immemorial Infantry Regiment, which during ceremonies is authorized to wear grenadier uniforms of the Charles III period, uses bearskins.
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British Military Uniforms From Contemporary Pictures: W.Y.Carman Hamlyn Publishing Group 1968 Immediately prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, bearskins were still worn by guard, ceremonial palace or other units in the British, Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Imperial German, Russian and Swedish armies."Uniforms of the World": Richard Knotel, . The Italian Sardinian Grenadiers had discarded bearskins in the nineteenth century but were to readopt them for limited ceremonial wear in modern times.
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Published Paul Legrain Bruxelles. Bearskins were used in peacetime maneuvers until around 1900, the bearskins were left in barracks upon mobilization in August 1914 and German troops occupying Brussels reportedly took many as souvenirs. The Regiment of Grenadiers' modern successor, the Regiment Carabiniers Prins Boudewijn – Grenadiers has readopted this headdress for limited ceremonial purposes. In addition to military units, the bearskin cap is also used by the Belgian Royal Escorts, a civilian police unit.
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The Irish Guards have buttons arranged in fours as they were the fourth Foot Guards regiment to be founded. They also have a prominent St. Patrick's blue plume on the right side of their bearskins.
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William and Emelior, in the mid-14th century Middle English version of William of Palerne, dress themselves in deerskins as another disguise, when the bearskins they are wearing have become a handicap to them.Skeat, Walter W (Ed). 1867, reprinted 1996.
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Masked bearskin costumes were used by shamans in ritual dances by native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, such as the Tlingit, alongside those of other animals. In Romania, dancers wearing real bearskins are a pre-Christian tradition that is meant to drive away evil spirits.
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Liliane and Fred Funcken, page 83 "L'Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats de la Guerre en Dentelle", The shape and appearance of fur hats differed according to period and country. While France used smaller bearskins, Spain preferred towering ones with long flowing bags, and while Britain had its tall cloth mitres with lacing and braiding, Russia would sport equally tall leather helmets with brass front-plates. The first headdresses were fairly low, and in the case of Spain and Austria sometimes contained elements from both mitres and bearskins. At the beginning of the 18th century and briefly during the 1770s, French grenadiers wore tricorne hats, rather than either the mitre or fur cap.
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From the last years of the eighteenth century, the bicorne hat was replaced by a cylindrical "stovepipe" shako. In 1812, this was replaced by the false-fronted "Belgic" shako, although light infantry continued to wear the stovepipe version. Grenadiers and Foot Guards continued to be issued bearskins, but these were not worn while on campaign.
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Steuart's Baltimore City Guards march through Charleston in 1559, wearing bearskins "taller than the Grenadier Guards". The Boston Greys encamped in Baltimore, July 1844. Steuart's residence can be seen on the right hand side. In 1833 a number of Baltimore regiments were formed into a brigade, and Steuart was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.
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Eighty-eight regiments wore gray uniforms with red facings, and fourteen princely regiments wore blue. The first regulations detailing specifics of uniforms is dated to 1704. Unusually, grenadiers for most of the part wore a tricorn like the fusiliers, rather than a mitre or a bearskin. Bearskins came into full use by about 1770.
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Imitating their Prussian counterparts, French grenadiers are described as wearing bearskins as early as 1761.Mouillard, Lucien: Les Régiments sous Louis XV, Paris 1882 The purpose appears to have been to add to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield.Military Uniforms of the World: Preben Kannil SBN 71370482 9 During the nineteenth century, the expense of bearskin caps and difficulty of maintaining them in good condition on active service led to this form of headdress becoming generally limited to guardsmen, bands or other units having a ceremonial role. The British Foot Guards and Royal Scots Greys did however wear bearskins in battle during the Crimean War and on peacetime manoeuvres until the introduction of khaki service dress in 1902.
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Kingdom of Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Bearskins should not be confused with other forms of headdress, including the busby, and other types of smaller fur headdresses.
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White breeches and black gaiters were laid aside for winter, in favour of long grey trousers with scarlet seams. In addition cocked hats gave way to helmets with bearskins bearing in front the motto: "Toujours pres" (Ever ready). Imposing as this dress was, it was far outshone by that decreed to the Light Company, which was under the command of the brother of The Hon. Andrew Forbes.
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They fell in love and soon married. Her father then came home and believed his son-in-law was a beggar because he was covered with bearskins. However, the next morning, he was relieved when he saw the gold skin of the young man who was no longer wearing the skins. The gold man went out to hunt a stag and asked an old witch about it.
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They wore a bearskin cap with a brass plate stamped with a flaming grenade on the front, red cords and plume, and a red back patch with a white cross. The epaulettes broadened their shoulders and the tall bearskins made them look even taller. Moustaches were also mandatory. There were several variations that included a blue and red quartered back, white cords and a peak.
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Select members of the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City formerly wore a bearskins cap with a red plume as part of their ceremonial uniform. The ceremonial uniform for the unit was taken out of use in 1970, after Pope Paul VI demilitarized the gendarmerie, with law enforcement falling under the Central Security Office (later reverting its name to the Corps of Gendarmerie in 2002).
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Benet, p. 59 The "bears" were often invited in as they were believed to ensure that there would be a good harvest, reflecting a very ancient belief in the power of the bear to prevent evil, encourage crop growth and cure diseases. In the historical regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland, boys wearing bearskins would also chase girls. A similar custom is seen in the Siwki Easter tradition.
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The Baltimore City Guards march through Charleston in 1859, wearing bearskins "taller than the Grenadier Guards". In 1833 a number of Baltimore regiments were formed into a brigade. The brigade commander was George H. Steuart, who was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.Griffith, Thomas W., p.257, Annals of Baltimore, 1833 Retrieved February 28, 2010 From 1841 to 1861 he was Commander of the First Light Division, Maryland Volunteer Militia.
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The Trinity College Dublin fencing club specifies that the azure in its colours is "St. Patrick's Blue (Pantone 295 as the Presedential [sic] Pennant)". Among Irish regiments of the British Army, a hackle of St. Patrick's blue is worn in the bearskins of the Irish Guards and in the caubeens of the London Irish Rifles. The Guards' blue was chosen in distinction to the Royal Irish Fusiliers' green hackle.
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Tivoligarden The Tivoli Youth Guard is a formation of boys and girls aged 8–16 dressed in uniforms reminiscent of those of the Royal Danish Guard complete with bearskins. It was founded in 1844 and gives concerts, makes parades, stands guard at the garden's buildings and monuments at special occasions and represents the gardens at various events. It is composed of a Corps of drums, a military-styled marching band and an honor guard platoon.
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When on ceremonial duties outside Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and at Horse Guards Parade, the Regiments of Guards wear red dress uniforms and Bearskins (not Busbys). Originally the sovereign's own troops, and some of the oldest regiments in the British Army. They perform most of the ceremonial duties at state occasions, but they are not just "toy soldiers" intended only for public display. They are fighting regiments that also do ceremonial duties.
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He wanted to know more about the far-off countries where they lived. His father, Jean-Baptiste Leborgne, born in 1718, frequently traveled on business to wild-fur markets and brought back bearskins, fox, beaver, and marten furs, and many other animal pelts. Sometimes he traveled as far as Scotland, and he dreamed of going to the Indies. His wife was against this, but he passed his dream on to his son.
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This removal was largely ignored though, and all regiments continued to maintain their bearskins well into 1796. The chasseurs maintained a green pom-pom in their cocked hat, and fusilier companies as such: 1st in dark blue, 2nd in aurora, 3rd in violet, and 4th in crimson. The companies also had different turnbacks, the grenadiers with a flaming grenade, fusilier companies with a fleur-de-lis (lille), and chasseurs with a hunting horn.
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Rare jongens, die Britten, de Volkskrant, retrieved 20 February 2016. Weapons and equipment are nearly all made by hand, using much the same tools and methods the Romans did, when possible.In an interview a member recalls the society importing wolf- and bearskins from Canada, things that would nowadays "not pass customs". Over the years the society has remade much of its armour and equipment because research had proven the old ones not quite authentic.
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All bagpipers carry the pipe banners of their units with their instruments. All the members of these formations wear Scottish/Irish/Gurkha full dress uniforms, with the flat cap for the Brigade of Gurkhas, tartan kilts in unit colours and black feather bonnets for those of Scottish formations, and the caubeen and brown kilts for both the Irish Guards and the Royal Irish Regiment. The drummers of both the Scots and Irish Guards wear their bearskins in full dress.
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Like the eleven Swiss regiments of line infantry in French service, the Gardes suisses wore red coats. The line regiments had black, yellow or light blue facings but the Swiss Guards were distinguished by dark blue lapels and cuffs edged in white embroidery. Only the grenadier company wore bearskins while the other companies wore the standard tricorn headdress of the French infantry. During the 17th and 18th centuries the Swiss Guards maintained a reputation for discipline and steadiness in both peacetime service and foreign campaigning.
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Anton Christian Bang The company was founded by Jørgen Daniel Bang (1790-1864) on 6 September 1816 when he opened a store in his father's building at the corner of Østerfade and Kongens Nytorv. He received a commission for bearskins for the Royal Life Guards and was appointed royal furrier in 1817. Bang's son, Anton Christian Bang (1823-1897), took over the company after his father's death in 1861. In 1888 he ceded it to his son Oscar Bang (1863-) who renamed it after his father.
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U.S. Marine Band drum major in bearskin hat and ceremonial baldric The United States authorizes all military bands "band regalia" consisting of a unique unit drum major mace, baldric, tabard, and drum design. The United States Army Institute of Heraldry designs these items on behalf of military bands. In full parade dress, drum majors of many U.S. military bands wear bearskin hats. The origin of the use of bearskins in U.S. military bands dates to 1855 when United States Marine Band director Francis Scala adopted the style for that ensemble in emulation of European trends.
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This transition occurred as the band was reorganizing itself from a traditional U.S. fife and drum corps into its modern incarnation. A shortage of bearskins in the late 1880s caused the price of the hats to skyrocket, with The New York Times then reporting their use might be phased out entirely. "It can readily be seen what a price has to be paid for keeping up a custom which is rather old, it is true, but is practically a useless one save for the purpose of military display," the newspaper opined.
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33, The Confederate Army 1861-65: Missouri, Kentucky & Maryland Osprey Publishing (2008), Retrieved May 10, 2010 Each company of citizen volunteers was uniformed, though these differed considerably from unit to unit. The Baltimore City Guard, formed in 1857 under Captain Joseph P. Warner, wore bearskins which were said to be "taller than those of the Grenadier Guards", and "dark blue tailcoats laced with gold, and light blue pants". The Independent Greys, by contrast, commanded by Captain James O. Law, wore grey tailcoats with black trim, and white pants.
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The elite among all French heavy cavalry line formations, the two regiments of mounted carabiniers had a very similar appearance with the mounted grenadiers of the Imperial Guard; bearskins, long blue coats, etc. and were mounted exclusively on black horses prior to 1813. They were largely used in identical manner to the Cuirassiers, but being (initially) unarmored, they were less suited for close-quarters, melee combat. Unarmored heavy cavalry was the norm in Europe during most of the Napoleonic Wars, with the French being the first to reintroduce the back- and-breastplate.
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The ceremonial uniform of the Belgian Royal Escort includes a bearskin cap. Two units in Belgium presently use the bearskin cap, the Belgian Royal Escort (since 1938), of the Belgian Federal Police;World Uniforms in Colour volume 1—The European Nations: Rinaldo D'Ami and the Regiment Carabiniers Prins Boudewijn – Grenadiers of the Belgian Armed Forces Land Component. Until 1914, bearskins were worn in parade uniform by the "Régiment des Grenadiers" of the Belgian Army.Pages 24-25 "Les Soldats de Leopold Ist et Leopold II": Guy Derie/John Pacco.
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All Scottish regiments wore doublets of distinctive cut instead of the tunics of English, Irish and Welsh units. Full dress headwear varied (both from regiment to regiment, and over time as influenced by military fashion): bearskins were worn by the Foot Guards, the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) and (in a different form) by Fusiliers. Plumed helmets were worn by the Dragoons (except 2nd), Dragoon Guards and the Household Cavalry. Hussars wore their distinctive busby, which also came to be adopted by the Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers and certain other Corps; it was also worn in a different form by Rifle regiments.
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When he did, his wife gave birth to twins of gold, the horse gave birth to two foals of gold, and two golden lilies sprouted from the earth. When they were grown, the gold children left home, telling their father that the lilies would wither if they were ill and die if they were dead. People mocked them because of their golden appearance, and one child went back to his father, but the other went on, through a forest filled with robbers. He covered himself with bearskins to hide the gold from the thieves, and wooed a maiden.
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A bear's fur consists of two types of hair: the underfur and the outer guard hairs. The underfur, which is soft and dense, serves primarily as an insulator. The outer guard hairs are much thicker, longer and coarser, and while they also insulate, they primarily serve to protect the body from dirt, debris and insects, as well as to repel water. Black bear fur was considered more valuable in the American West than that of grizzly and was once used to fabricate bearskins, which are tall fur caps worn as part of the ceremonial uniform of several regiments in various armies.
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After 1807, regulations stipulated that line grenadiers were to replace their bearskin with a shako lined red with a red plume; however, many chose to retain their bearskins. In addition to the standard Charleville model 1777 and bayonet, grenadiers were also equipped with a short sabre. This was to be used for close combat, but most often ended up serving as a tool to cut wood for campfires. A grenadier company would usually be situated on the right side of a formation, traditionally the place of greatest honour since the days of hoplite warfare in which a corps' right flank had less protection from the shield line of its formation.
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The exceptions were the Royal regiments, Regiments of the Princes, and the Régiment de Picardie. Each class was divided further into two "divisions", each of three regiments. In the case of the Armagnac regiment, it was part of the 4th series and 2nd division, and uniformed as follows; black tricorne, white jacket, steel grey facings, steel grey lapels, white cuffs, white lapels with steel grey piping, and white buttons. There was also a re-organised in the company uniforms, the most notable change was the complete removal of bearskins from the grenadier companies and replaced by a tricorne with a large red pom-pom.
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The Drum Major of the Marine Band leading it during a ceremony while wearing a bearskin. American military bands are one of the chief users of British military music tradition. The name of the United States Marine Band uses terminology that stems from the British use of designating various military units as either the "King's Own" or "Queen's Own". Premier ensembles like the Marine Band as well as the United States Army Band and the United States Air Force Band have drum majors who wear bearskins similar to the Foot Guards and are issued a set of regalia; the latter typically being a service wide tradition unlike the former.
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Welsh Guardsmen in full dress are distinguished by the white/green/white plume on their bearskins The Welsh Guards and other Guards regiments have a long-standing connection to The Parachute Regiment. Guardsman who have completed P company are transferred into the Guards Parachute Platoon which is currently attached to 3 PARA, maintaining a tradition of the No 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company—the original Pathfinder Group of the 16th Parachute Brigade, now renamed the 16th Air Assault Brigade. The 3rd Battalion the Royal Welsh from the Army Reserve is paired with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and will deploy on future Operations with them. One way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards is the spacing of buttons on the tunic.
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The Bavarians had fought alongside the French in the past and the sight of the fearsome Bearskins of French Guardsmen shook their morale and they abandoned their position in the forest after a brief fight. But, with the fire of a Bavarian grand battery upon them, the French infantry soon had to stop. Napoleon positioned General Le Noury's artillery in battery and brought in support General Drouot with the horse artillery of the Guard, as well as other pieces, constituting a grand battery of some 50 pieces that was soon able to respond adequately to the Austro-Bavarian cannonade. Nansouty, with the Guard Dragoons and Lancers, was instructed to protect this battery from the enemy and thus positioned his men behind the guns.
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The plumes and top of this headgear historically distinguished the various Lancer regiments. The Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards wear bearskins, as do officers of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers; whose other ranks, however, wear the flat-topped fusilier cap. The Royal Regiment of Scotland wears the feathered bonnet, as do pipers in the Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment, Mercian Regiment, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, Royal Anglian Regiment, Yorkshire Regiment, and Royal Welsh, as Line infantry regiments, wear the dark blue Home Service Helmet with a spike ornament on top, as do the Royal Engineers, Adjutant General's Corps and Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
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The fang-siang shi with four eyes of gold and > masked with bearskins, wearing black coats and red skirts, grasp their > lances and wield their shields. There are also twelve animals with feathers > or hairs, and with horns. These people start their work at the inner Yellow > Gate, under command of a Chamberlain in general employ, to expel maleficent > spectres from the Forbidden Palace. [Shortly before dawn, the 120 boys and > all the court officials gather together and repeat a chant listing 12 demon- > eating spirits, "Jiazuo 甲作 devours calamities, Feiwei 胇胃 devours tigers > ..."] These twelve divinities are herewith ordered to chase away evil and > misfortune, to scorch your bodies, seize your bones and joints, cut your > flesh in pieces, tear out your lungs and bowels.
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Sir David Wilkie, The Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch, 1822 Maitland's 1st Foot Guards, who had defeated the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard, were thought to have defeated the Grenadiers, although they had only faced Chasseurs of the newly raised Middle Guard. They were nevertheless awarded the title of Grenadier Guards in recognition of their feat and adopted bearskins in the style of the Grenadiers. Britain's Household Cavalry likewise adopted the cuirass in 1821 in recognition of their success against their armoured French counterparts. The effectiveness of the lance was noted by all participants and this weapon subsequently became more widespread throughout Europe; the British converted their first light cavalry regiment to lancers in 1816, their uniforms, of Polish origin, were based on those of the Imperial Guard lancers.
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Situated at the mouth of the Kuteen River, on the eastern side of the mouth of the Tugur River, here his men built winter quarters and a warehouse for supplies. Before Christmas Lindholm had a house built for himself in "Yakut fashion": twenty square feet, it consisted of a parlor with a sofa, a kitchen and dining room, and four bedrooms divided by boat sails. Built of logs and insulted with six inches of earth and clay as well as two feet of ice and snow, a clay stove set in one corner of the main room provided heat while windows made of ice provided light. Bearskins covered the floor and most of the walls, while deerskin covered both sides of the door, built on the lee side of the house to shield the men inside from prevailing northwesterly winds.
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All three branches of the armed forces take part in the parade, as seen in the composition of the Massed Military Bands, Bugle Squads and the Colour Parties of the 13 military units participating. The parade is notable for the colourful uniforms on display; pith helmets with heavy plumes resembling bearskins are worn, except for the lone cavalry unit in attendance - with British-style cavalry helmets and Thai lances on horsebacks - and the Naval Cadets. These uniforms are a nod to the British military traditions in the Royal Thai Armed Forces since the time of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) in the final years of the 19th century, with a combination of the British and German military drill and ceremonial. The general public also attend the parade celebrations, and Thai television stations broadcast this to the entire nation.
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The heavy cavalry (excepting the Household Cavalry who adopted a helmet with a prominent woolen comb and the Scots Greys, who retained their bearskins) adopted a helmet with a horsetail crest like those of French dragoons or cuirassiers, while the light dragoons adopted a jacket and shako similar to those of French chasseurs a cheval. The Duke of Wellington objected to these changes, as it became difficult to distinguish French and British cavalry at night or at a distance, but without success. For most of the wars, British cavalry formed a lower proportion of armies in the field than most other European armies, mainly because it was more difficult to transport horses by ship than foot soldiers, and the horses usually required several weeks to recuperate on landing. British cavalry were also more useful within Britain and Ireland for patrolling the country as a deterrent to unrest.
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This pattern is the very uniform commissioned by King Charles II for the drummers, trumpeters and timpanists of the Household Division then, and is in gold with the royal cypher of the reigning monarch and Colonel in Chief of the Household Division, with the cypher on the baldric. All five band drum majors, as well as the drum majors of the corps of drums and pipes and drums, wear round jockey caps in the full state dress and bearskins in the service state dress with the hackles of their units. These drum majors thus do not salute during state ceremonies, but during state arrival ceremonies and international sports competitions and events held in the London area they salute during the playing of the national anthems. The ceremonial leader of a band and bugles is known as a Bugle Major, who unlike other military drum majors, utilizes a shorter mace that is carried at the side of the torso.
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The British Army's Guards Division continue to wear bearskins with its full dress uniform. A tradition started after the Grenadier Guards defeat of the French Imperial Guard in 1815. As noted above, grenadiers were distinguished by their head-gear from the ordinary musketeers (or Hatmen) who made up the bulk of each regiment of foot. While there were some exceptions, the most typical grenadier headdress was either the mitre cap or the bearskin. Both began to appear in various armies during the second half of the 17th century because grenadiers were impeded by the wide brimmed infantry hats of the period when throwing grenades. The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the 17th century were frequently trimmed with fur.W.Y. Carman, page 35, "British Military Uniforms from Contemporary Pictures", Hamlyn Publishing 1968 The practice fell into disuse until the second half of the 18th century when grenadiers in the British, Spanish and French armies began wearing high fur hats with cloth tops and, sometimes, ornamental front plates. The purpose appears to have been to add to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield.
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