LeeG

Hi everyone,

A little help here please: to what regiment or brigade does this flash belong? Is it a variant of Royal Artillery?

Thanks in advance.

Lee

Thanks Stuart -- what qualities tip this helmet off as an officer's or private purchase NCO?

While some came from militaria dealers, most of my items came from collecting friends or, believe it or not, from ebay. Thanks for the complements everyone. Now if I could only figure out what that damned green cap was... ;)

Here is another view.

Stuart,

One of those Südwester slouch hats on that site (the second) is currently in my collection. These are great hats.

Lee

Very cool! I prefer it to be an other rank's example (goes more with the other items in my collection). Thanks Stuart!

I really don't know what to think of the green cap. Hopefully somebody can help identify it. I really don't think it is a 'fake' or even a put-together, but it may prove to be something incredibly banal like a forester's cap.

In any case, here is something very non-banal (is that a word?): an officer's khaki helmet from about 1900. I've been looking for sometime for one of these. More photos are posted in Stuart's Boer War sun helmet thread: http://gmic.co.uk/in...692#entry470692

and underside

back

front angle

Another angle.

Great thread! Here is my contribution: a Boer War era khaki officer's helmet. Still has its form with nice thick pugaree intact. The sweatband is intact but battered and the interior of the cap is missing most of the green lining.

Thanks Stuart and Mervyn. If the green cap is made-up, what is it made up to be? The components of the cap seem to be of the era, I just have no idea what they are for. I would think that if it were completely made up it would be to mimic a famous unit or a more obviously Boer looking type insignia (like a correct-side up Dutch flag). Any thoughts?

What is this green slouch cap? Is this Boer? Is this some light infantry or rifle unit? Is this a Boy Scout cap? (It's pretty large at 7-1/8, so it'd be a big scout.) Any ideas?

flash closeup; note press stud is same as IY hat

badge and band closeups

underside shot

another shot

No here is a strange one that I could use some help on. It is a green slouch cap. It has the same press-studs as the second IY example I posted but a tri-coloured flag (upside-down Dutch flag?). The "2 F" badges look of the era. It also has a very thin leather band and a cheap sweatband.

Here is a third khaki slouch hat from the era with, again, a Prince of Wales badge group (but no IY rosette). The press stub is the same type as the 1901-dated example I posted; it has a pugaree as well. The sweatband on this example is missing, and the chinstrap in bad shape (though it looks to be exactly the same as the second cap posted). This example exhibits an interesting set of six vent grommets instead of vent holes.

Underside of cap. This one is unmarked but has the sweatband, chinstrap, and intact leather band in lieu of pugaree.

A peak behind the rosette reveals a prettily patterned press-stub.

Closeup of originally badged IY rosette.

Here is a second cap. This one is not as nice as the previously posted cap, BUT it did come complete with its original ... IY rosette!

Here is a similar looking hat from a regimental museum.