The sister Regiment was the Scots Greys and that was from only using Grey Horses, the Berets well, they had no new supplys and the French blankets was were the only material at hand,its only athought!!!
I can imagine everybody ducking and diving and going the long way round if they saw a grey beret coming their way, they must have stuck out like sore thumbs,got to dash the other way a grey beret heading my way,stuff the fatiques
I think the true story of the grey beret was the following. During the desert campaign after Alamein the Royals were inspected by General Montgomery they had just finished fighting and were covered in dust paticularly the black beret hence the berets looked grey. The colonel requested from Montgomery that as a reward for their efforts in the desert could they wear Grey Berets, Mongomerey was enthusiastic but when forwarded to the War Office the idea was turned down The officers refused to accept this and some of them continued to wear a grey beret from then. I joined the regiment in Dedelsdorf in 1946 and some officers were still wearing a grey beret,however very shortly afterwards the grey beret was forbidden and we all wore the black/blue beret
Jim a great write up very interesting..the last officer to wear the GREY BERET was LT COL PEPYS DSO he wore it till he left the regt in january 1949 He was a great CO. think i may have a photo of him
The sister Regiment was the Scots Greys and that was from only using Grey Horses, the Berets well, they had no new supplys and the French blankets was were the only material at hand,its only athought!!!
ReplyDeleteThe last time the GREY BERET was worn was in 1948.worn by the CO..2/IC ADJT RSM and THE 4 SSM,s
ReplyDeleteI can imagine everybody ducking and diving and going the long way round if they saw a grey beret coming their way, they must have stuck out like sore thumbs,got to dash the other way a grey beret heading my way,stuff the fatiques
ReplyDeleteI think the true story of the grey beret was the following. During the desert campaign after Alamein
ReplyDeletethe Royals were inspected by General Montgomery they had just finished fighting and were covered in dust paticularly the black beret hence the berets looked grey. The colonel requested from Montgomery that as a reward for their efforts in the desert could they wear Grey Berets, Mongomerey was enthusiastic but when forwarded to the War Office the idea was turned down
The officers refused to accept this and some of them continued to wear a grey beret from then. I joined the regiment in Dedelsdorf in 1946 and some officers were still wearing a grey beret,however very shortly afterwards the grey beret was forbidden and we all wore the black/blue beret
Jim a great write up very interesting..the last officer to wear the GREY BERET was LT COL PEPYS DSO
ReplyDeletehe wore it till he left the regt in january 1949 He was a great CO. think i may have a photo of him
I remember the CO and RSM wearing grey berets.
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Don
What was the name of your horse Don?
ReplyDeleteAfraid that comes under "The Official Secrets Act"
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Don