Army Policy & Secretariat Army Headquarters IDL 24 Blenheim Building Marlborough Lines Andover Hampshire, SP11 8HJ United Kingdom
ArmySec/Equip/Cloth/FOI2021/02837 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.army.mod.uk
Jon Potter 01 April 2021 request-735902- [email protected]
Dear Mr Potter,
Thank you for your email of 12 March in which you requested the following information:
“Could you kindly provide the height measurements for Bearskin caps worn by the Foot Guard Regiments at both the front and the rear. Could you provide this for Guardsmen, NCO's, Officer's and any other rank or appointment where there is a variation. In the past, the height of the Bearskin was based on the height of the soldier (for example Army Dress Regulations 1934 - para 683 provides different measurements based on the Officer's height). Is this still the case today? Is it also possible to provide this for any other Regiment still wearing Bearskins such as the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Including the White drummer bearskin), HAC & The Royal Highland Fusiliers?”
I am treating your correspondence as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). A search for the information has now been completed within the Ministry of Defence, and I can confirm that information in scope of your request is held.
Army Dress Regulations Part 3 – Household Division states that the standard bearskin cap worn by officers of the 5 Regiments of Foot Guards is 11.5 inches at the front and 16 inches at the rear. Measurements for all Other Ranks (ORs) from Guardsman to Warrant Officer Class 1 are not specified. However, under Section 16 of the Act (Advice and Assistance) I can advise that ORs wear a similar sized bearskin cap although the rear is usually 14 inches. Also, under Section 16 it may be helpful if I explain that as bearskin caps can last for many years there are variations in sizes, with some officer’s caps as tall as 18 inches at the rear. Taller caps are still fitted to taller officers and ORs when they are available.
With regards to part two of your request, I can confirm that the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and the Infantry officers and ORs serving with the Honourable Artillery Company wear the bearskin cap when in Full Dress. Bearskin caps are also worn by the Director of Music, Bandmaster and Drum Major of the Army Reserve Band and the Corps of Drums of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Bearskins are also worn by the drummers of the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, with the bass drummer wearing a white polar bearskin cap. I can confirm that the specifications match those of the Foot Guards.
If you have any queries regarding the content of this letter, please contact this office in the first instance. Following this, if you wish to complain about the handling of your request, or the content of this response, you can request an independent internal review by contacting the Information Rights Compliance team, Ground Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail CIO- [email protected]). Please note that any request for an internal review should be made within 40 working days of the date of this response.
If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may raise your complaint directly to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not normally investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website at https://ico.org.uk/.
Yours sincerely,
A McNair Army Policy & Secretariat