Gurkha Units Affiliated with Scottish Regiments

[Reid10]

In my research on Scottish Regiments I often come across references to affiliated units. Some time ago I expanded my headgear collecting focus to include these units. I think the more well known units come from former and current Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. Another is Nepal, specifically the Gurkha Regiments.

Collectors are very familiar with the Gurkha slouch (Terai) hat. Many of the hats have a tartan badge backing sewn to the pagri showing their Scottish regimental affiliation. I have been lucky to acquire a few of these slouch hats.







High on the list of headgear I am trying to find is the slouch hat for the Queen's Gurkha Signals, affiliated with 32 Signal Regiment.





A tartan badge backing was also worn on the Gurkha's rifle green beret for a short time beginning in 1994 by B Company of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, which was placed under the Royal Scots due to a surplus of men when the four existing Gurkha regiments were amalgamated into one.




What some may not be aware of is that at least one Gurkha unit also wore a tartan badge backing on their berets in 2003.

In 2003, the 1st Battalion, The Highlanders were augmented by a Gurkha reinforcement company to support operations in Bosnia. In a 2021 interview with Quentin Naylor MBE, former Commander of 1st Battalion Naylor said, “In the early 2000s the infantry was badly undermanned, and the Gurkhas never had a challenge in filling their battalions, so the decision was made to raise a number of Gurkha reinforcement companies. The Parachutes had one, the Prince of Wales’s Royal Regiment had one, and the Royal Scots had one. The Gurkha company supporting the Royal Scots moved over to the 1st Battalion The Highlanders in around 2002 and was based in Redford barracks in Edinburgh."

After two Bosnia tours, The Highlanders reinforcement company was disbanded, and the Gurkhas returned to the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

[Aldo]

Very interesting, I never realized these Gurkha hat often had a tartan badge backing. A very nice area of collecting

[Reid10]

I was recently able to find the Queen's Gurkha Signals felt slouch hat / terai hat I have been looking for. As with the previous Gurkha units I listed in this post, the QG SIGNALS is affiliated with a Scottish Regiment, the 32 Signal Regiment, previously 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment (Volunteers). 32 Signal Regiment wears the Red Grant tartan as a badge backing and for kilts and plaids for pipers and QG SIGNALS wear the tartan sewn to the left side of their slouch hat as a badge backing and for kilts and plaids. The QG SIGNALS slouch hat I acquired belonged to a Staff Sergeant who gave the hat to a friend during the Handover of Hong Kong ceremonies in 1997. It has the brass cap badge often worn by noncommissioned officers of the QG SIGNALS.