Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-23
nE.RskINs IN BRITISH ARMY.
Big Fur Hats of the CoIdstrenms,
Grenadiers and Scots Guards.


For more than J3O years "a tall hat of
fur has been a conspicuous article Of
headgear in the British army, and It vas
with something Of a shock that people read
in the papers the other day that a COM
mittee was going to sit to consider the
growing scarcity of the bearskins from
which are made the imposing full-dreSs hat
of the foot guards. War Office committees
on clothing are dreadful things. but those
that sit on hats are unutterable. Every
body remembers with horror the alleged
helmet which such a committee produced n
few years ago. 1t was to be the universe
head covering of the British army, and
must be serviceable and useful. The com
mittee decided. as a first principle, that an
article possessing these two qualities must
be ugly. Proceeding from this premise,
the members of the committee gave
full expression to their ideas or
utility and produced a head covering the
like of which was never before seen on
earth, and it is to be hoped never VIII be
again. There are members of the head
quarters staff who to this day have not
quite got over the sight Of the experiment
tai helmet devised by the committee. For
tunately, only one was made, or instead or
only having to lament the scarcity Of re
cruits the nation would have found ltselt
without any army whatever. No regular
soldier or Sef-reSpecting militlamdn-a
volunteer will wear anything-would nave
put it on, and its adoption into the service
would have left no service 10 wear IT.
This much is necessary TO explain the
alarm felt the other day when II was an
nounced that a war office headdreSs COM
mittee was about to tamper with INC
guardsman's bearskin. Fortunately me
committee has only limited powers. It's
only function this time is. SO TO speak. 10
haggle with tradesmen. The plain fact Is
that bearSkinS are growing scarce, ana the
cost of providing the guards with their
magnificent ''tall hat OF fur is increasing
yearly in a remarkable manner. Only one
kind of fur is used for this purpose. 1t
is that produced by the American black
bear, and as Ursus Americanus. despite the
extraordinary cOrdiality subsisting between
the two great branches of the AnglO-SaNon
race, refuses to produce well-furred integu-
ment in sufficient quantities to cover the
heads of our guardSmen at reasonable
rate, the never-failing resource OF COM
mittee has been called into operation.
1t costs on an average fl head per an
mum to maintain the imposing appearance
impaired to the busby. The great caps
costs the government about rs each. Those
worn by the Coldstreams are a little less,
but those for the GrenadierS and Scots
Guards cost more than that sum. Ac-
cording to the regulations. busby must
last for eight years. but there are seNefa!
reasons why the regulation life of a
busby like the regulation life of whole
lot of other equipment, falls considerably
short of the war office span. one OF the
principal reasons is that the cap is only
home service equipment: When a guards
battalion is ordered on foreign service the
big misunderstanding battle pictures to the
contrary Observation-Disclosures returned TO
store at the Pimlico clothing factory. They
are not kept there awaiting the return OF
their former owners, but are reiSsued to
newly joined recruits or to battaions re-
turning home so that men get what Is
called part worn equipment.