Generic
Military Tartans Page
Military tartans honour the service, sacrifice, and spirit of those in uniform. While Scotland is the historic home of tartan, its enduring symbolism of pride, identity, and unity has been embraced around the world by military communities. Today, American and Canadian forces alike wear tartans that reflect their heritage and their bond of service.
Military Tartans
8 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Dress Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the start
Military Tartan Origins & History
US Army Tartan
The colours of the US Army tartan were carefully chosen to reflect the wide history of Army uniforms and the soldiers who wore them. Black recalls the beret, a modern symbol of unity and professionalism. Khaki represents the current summer uniform, while light green honours the original sniper uniform, now incorporated into summer dress. Dark blue connects to the Army’s original dress uniform, olive recognises the combat uniform worn in service worldwide, and gold pays tribute to the proud heritage of the cavalry.
The US Navy in Scotland
The US Navy (Edzell) Tartan was created by Arthur Mackie to honour US Navy personnel stationed at the Edzell radar base in Angus, Scotland. The base, operational from the 1960s until the 1990s, played a vital role in Cold War communications and intelligence, and became home to thousands of American service members and their families over the decades. The tartan not only marked the Navy’s presence in Scotland but also served as a symbol of friendship between the US and Scottish communities. Its colours were carefully chosen to reflect the naval tradition of service at sea while grounding the design in its Scottish roots. Today, the Edzell tartan remains a reminder of the strong bonds forged between the US Navy and the people of Angus.
Royal Canadian Air Force
It’s said that Canada were the first Air Force to adopt its own tartan. Considered a unique national treasure, its creation was sparked in the early 1940s by Group Captain E.G. Fullerton AFC, Commanding Officer of No. 9 Service Flying Training School. In July 1942 the tartan was submitted to Lord Lyon, King of Arms in Edinburgh for approval. In reality he had no power to approve or disapprove so instead he merely 'noted' its existence although it's frequently and erroneously claimed that he granted approval on 15 August 1942. Regardless of the legal niceties, it became officially known world-wide as The Royal Canadian Air Force Tartan.Explore More...
