The Canadian military fur wedge cap, "envelope

busby Busby may refer to: Clothing *Busby (military headdress), a kind of military headdress, made of fur, derived from that traditionally worn by Hussars. Places * Busby, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada *Busby, East Renfrewshire, a village in Scotland * ...

", or colloquially "The

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

"CBC Newsworld, Live coverage of the National Act of Remembrance, Ottawa, November 11, 2008: as reported by Maj. George Pearce Ret'de-Veritas, July 24, 2016, Headdress of the Royal Military College of Canada: A brief history by 8057 Ross McKenzie, former Curator RMC Museum
is a uniform hat worn by the

Canadian military The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defence Act'', t ...

and

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

. The outside of the cap is entirely covered in real (e.g.

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

skin or Persian lamb) or synthetic fur and is shaped like a wedge. When not being worn the cap folds flat. The cap is about high but is normally worn with the apex of the wedge shape depressed back into the interior of the cap to form a longitudinal trough at the crown, reducing the overall height. Often the cap is patterned such that the front of the crown will be slightly higher than the back. On one side of the military style fur wedge cap hangs a flat flap made of

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

fur or cloth or wool that extends from the crown to the bottom of the cap, known as the "bag". The colour of the "bag" was determined by the regimental colours (e.g. the RCMP bag is yellow). The bag is very similar to that worn with the

. Because of the cap's passing resemblance to the

hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

busby, author and researcher James J. BoultonBoulton, James, J., ''Head-dress of the Canadian Mounted Police, 1873–2000'', Calgary: Bunker to Bunker Pub., c2000., , pages 89–96 dubbed it the envelope busby. Still, whatever influence the busby may have had on its design, and despite its very close resemblance to traditional Russian military and civilian styles, the fur wedge cap pattern has been claimed to be "distinctly Canadian." The fur wedge cap was used by both the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...

(NWMP), later

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP), with the first examples coming into service in 1876 until 1901 and then again from 1928 until 1935. Today the RCMP wear the Yukon pattern of fur cap that is similar to the Russian style and made from muskrat fur. The other police unit that still regularly wears the fur wedge cap is the

Toronto Police The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...

Mounted Unit as part of their full dress uniform. The Canadian military also wore the cap from about the end of the 19th century, and was formally adopted in the 1970s as the issued fur cap for all commands of the Canadian Forces during unification. The bag was coloured rifle green. In

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

nomenclature it is known as Cap, Man's Winter, Fur, C.F. Exactly when the fur cap stopped being in general issue is unclear; however, it is still being worn today by the officer cadets of the

Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...

.Gregory, Michael, ''Compendium of Canadian Regiments: A Civilian's Perspective'', Michaeljohn Gregory, pages 59 to 60Canadian Forces, ''A-DH-265-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Dress Instructions'', Department of National Defence, pages 2-2-10 and 2-2-19
/ref> As an example William Avery Bishop, Canadian flying ace, can be seen wearing the cap during his days in

In popular culture

The fur wedge cap is prominently featured in the

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

film '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940), with the mounted police characters all wearing the cap despite the fact that the movie is set in the summertime. A civilian version of the cap without the bag was fashionable in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during the 1970s.

References

External links

Photograph of RMC Officer Cadets marching on Remembrance Day 2005

Side view of hat, Ottawa Remembrance Day 2005

Toronto Police Mounted Unit, Santa Claus Parade 2007

Toronto Police Mounted Unit, Santa Claus Parade 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Military Fur Wedge Cap 1970s fashion Canadian fashion Canadian military uniforms Royal Canadian Mounted Police North-West Mounted Police Military hats

In popular culture

See also

References

External links