Tam o'shanter (hat)
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- This article is about the hat called a 'tam o' shanter'. For the poem by Robert Burns, see Tam o' Shanter (Burns poem)
A tam o'shanter is a Scottish bonnet worn by men which was named after the character Tam o' Shanter in the poem of that name by Robert Burns. The bonnet is made of wool with a toorie (pompon) in the centre, and the crown is about twice the diameter of the head. Originally they were only made in blue because of the lack of chemical dyes, and were called Bluebonnets. They are now available in plain colours or in different tartans.
Tam o'shanters are worn by the Scottish infantry regiments of the British Army and the Canadian Army instead of berets. They are plain khaki in colour and are stiffer than civilian tam o'shanters, now with a narrower, flat crown often worn sloping down from back to front (during the first half of the 20th century, they were larger and floppier, worn with the excess material pulled to the right side like a beret). The Royal Highland Fusiliers wear a white hackle on their dress headgear, and soldiers of The Black Watch of Canada wear a red hackle on both their duty tam o'shanters and dress balmorals.
Some regiments of the Canadian Army wear different coloured toories: the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (formerly the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and the Highland Light Infantry of Canada) have traditionally worn dark green; the North Nova Scotia Highlanders wore red toories during the Second World War; and the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders wore blue. Most regiments wear a khaki toorie, matching the hat.
In many regiments, it is traditional for non-commissioned soldiers to wear a tam o'shanter, while officers (and in some cases senior non-commissioned officers/members) wear the balmoral instead.
Trivia
- In the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) joyfully throws her tam o'shanter cap up in the air. A statue of Mary throwing the cap was dedicated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2002.