Why are British Guards 'hats too big'?


by

Can Pac Swire

Buckingham Palace in England is known for its magnificent exterior as well as its luxurious interior and furnishings that can be seen on a summer-only tour, but the infantry of the British Queen 's Guard, who is in charge of the outer escort. The Changing of the Guard Ceremony, in which troops march with a marching band, is one of the highlights of London tourism. Live Science, a science news media, explains the mystery of the 'too big hat' that is indispensable when talking about such British guards.

Why do the queen's guards wear such tall hats? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/why-queens-guard-bearskin-hats.html

The guards belonging to the British Army Guard Division are special forces that mainly serve as guards and guards for the monarch. At Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II usually lives, and Windsor Castle, where she spends her weekends, you can see the guards watching over tourists in an upright and immovable position.

When I see such a guard, the point that I really care about is the 'too big hat' that is twice as big as the head. This hat is from that you are using the fur of a bear, the name also ' Bearskin (Bearskin: bear fur),' but is intended that, the size of until the imbalance is particularly striking.


by

SouthEastern Star ★

According to Richard Fitzwilliams , a well-known expert on the British royal family, this hat is purposely made large for the purpose of 'intimidating the enemy army'. It is said that it was used to make soldiers look taller in the Napoleonic Wars between France and the Great Alliance with France centered on Britain, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, who became the emperor of the First Empire of France. So, not only the British army but also the Imperial army under the Napoleonic flag were equipped with similar hats.

Regarding the bear fur used in the hats of the British guards, Fitz Williams explained that he uses the fur of American black bears from Canada. Since the fur used for the hat is that of an American black bear that has been disposed of by the number control, we do not bother to kill the American black bear for the purpose of fur, but it can often be criticized from the viewpoint of animal protection. It was said that. According to Tatler, a British press, the British Army buys about 50 to 100 bearskin hats each year, and the price is $ 900 each.


by

Ronnie Macdonald

Also, regarding the formal wear of the guards, the red jacket is the most eye-catching after the oversized hat. There is a legend in this red jacket that 'red is used to disguise blood stains', but according to Fitz Williams, the legend is completely nonsense, and in reality it is used simply because of price issues. That is. Regarding the opinion that 'red is conspicuous, so the impact rate on the battlefield will increase', Mr. Fitzwilliams said, 'Most of the wars in Europe are head-on collisions between armies that have been set up, and red uniforms are visible due to smoke. It helped distinguish between friendly and enemy forces in the turmoil of decline and combat, and is believed to have prevented head-on collisions. '


by Defense Images

'Our country is the most well-known monarchy in the world, and the guards play an important role. It may be anachronistic, but we keep this tradition,' Fitz Williams said of the guards' attire. The British royal family is world-famous because it continues. '' The British Guard is one of London's great tourist attractions. '

In addition, since the British Guards perform the mission as a combat unit as well as the general unit, 'It is a big mistake if you think that there is only a ritual mission,' Fitz Williams explains.

in Note, Posted by darkhorse_log