The Italian Sardinian Grenadiers had discarded bearskins in the nineteenth century but were to readopt them for limited ceremonial wear in modern times. Immediately prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, bearskins were still worn by guard, ceremonial palace or other units in the British, Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Imperial German, Russian and Swedish armies. The British Foot Guards and Royal Scots Greys did however wear bearskins in battle during the Crimean War and on peacetime manoeuvres until the introduction of khaki service dress in 1902. ĭuring the nineteenth century, the expense of bearskin caps and difficulty of maintaining them in good condition on active service led to this form of headdress becoming generally limited to guardsmen, bands or other units having a ceremonial role.
The purpose appears to have been to add to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield. Imitating their Prussian counterparts, French grenadiers are described as wearing bearskins as early as 1761. The practice fell into disuse until the second half of the eighteenth century when grenadiers in the British, Spanish and French armies began wearing high fur hats with cloth tops and, sometimes, ornamental front plates. The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the seventeenth century were frequently trimmed with fur. Use of the headgear by the French dates back to the mid-18th century. An officer of the grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard, c.
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