Bear essentials
How the fur caps became a ceremonial staple
The ceremonial headgear that has been worn for more than 200 years, is 18in tall and weighs around 2lbs.
The earliest recorded bearskin worn by soldiers was in Europe around the mid-17th century. They then went into disuse until nearly 100 years during the Napoleonic Wars. At that time, it was the French who more usually donned the headgear in imitation of the Prussians. The bearskin would make an infantryman appear taller and more intimidating.
In order to commemorate their victory at Waterloo, the British captured the caps and made similar ones for the soldiers guarding the Royal residences. The Grenadier Guards were initially the sole proprietors of the fur caps but within two decades this was extended to the other footguard regiments.
By the start of the 20th century, the bearskin became purely ceremonial but its use has remained a controversial matter for the Ministry of Defence for decades.
Concerns were voiced as early as 1997, when the former minister for defence procurement, the late Lord Gilbert, said he wanted bearskins to be phased out because of the ethical concerns. He maintained that the caps had “no military significance and involved unnecessary cruelty”.
Though the British Army has since replaced beaverskin caps and leopard skins, which were worn by some of its soldiers, it has yet to find a suitable alternative for the bearskin. Their continued production for use by the footguard regiments has garnered fierce opposition – particularly from celebrities and animal rights activists. The caps are procured by the MOD from Canada, where due to bear population control measures, thousands of wild black bears are culled annually.
Under Canadian law, no more than 5 per cent of the population can be killed in a year. Of the approximately 20,000 bearskins that are “legally harvested”, the MOD supplier uses about 100 skins annually.
The MOD said it has “examined various alternative materials in the past” but none had “come remotely close” to matching the natural properties of the bear fur.
Of the 14 nations around the world still using bearskins as part of their ceremonial military uniform, few have made the change to using artificial materials instead of real fur.