Slough hat

[larsson]

Hi

I wonder if someone knows the period this hat were in use. I know its Royal West African frontier Force and they were in burma . And that is about all i know.

There are no markings so could it be lokaly made?

[Jerry B]

can you show the underside?

 

[larsson]

[peter monahan]

The RWAFF consisted of 28 battalions by 1945 and served as a cadre for the formation of 81st (West Africa) Division and 82nd (West Africa) Division. Both divisions saw service during the Second World War, serving in Italian Somaliland, Abyssinia, and Burma.  I actually had the pleasure of meeting 2-3 veterans of the Burma campaign when I lived in Nigeria in the early '80s.

If you google "slouch hat RWAFF" you see a number of photos,  Many of the examples share the triangular flash but each has a different set of small coloured rectangles at the bottom of the triangle.  My guess is that these indicate which regiment the wearer belonged to but haven't had the time to pursude that theory.  Nor, to be honest, am I sure where one would start.  The history of the RWAFF is fairly sparse, but in 2002 someone in the UK launched a Journal devoted to its history, which is referred to here: https://specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=987.  The IWM has a two volume history of the Nigeria Regiment but it was published in the 1930s.  Good luck with the hunt, if you choose to pursue it!

Peter

[Jerry B]

it is British made and these markings on the sweatband are not precisely dated but late 30's early war is probably correct.