The custom of wearing a kilt pin came in during Queen Victoria's reign to stop the kilt apron from flapping about too much and accidently showing more of the wearer's anatomy than the Queen liked.
The custom of wearing a kilt pin came in during Queen Victoria's reign to stop the kilt apron from flapping about too much and accidently showing more of the wearer's anatomy than the Queen liked. An old story goes that the Queen gave her own brooch to a soldier who was struggling with his kilt in windy conditions. Kilt pins now, are used mostly as a decorative piece but still functions to add weight to the kilt's open edge to keep it from blowing open or moving around.
The kilt pin we choose to wear as part of our dress kit is simply a replica of a firefighters axe. The use of axes in firefighting has occurred for thousands of years and can even be traced back to 24 BC in ancient Rome. The Firefighter’s axe is one of the oldest and most practical tools used by Firefighters to this day. As a true multi-purpose tool, axes can assist firefighters with gaining forcible entry into buildings, search and rescue efforts, creating ventilation outlets, and investigating fire spread & overhaul
Fire Axes are usually married and used together with a Halligan Tool, particularly during forcible entry operations. This combined set up is what Firefighters refer to as ‘The Irons’.
Consequently, the firefighter's axe is now an important symbol which represents firefighters worldwide.