Grenadier Guards Lance Sergeant's Cap.

[leigh kitchen]

Famous for their "slashed" peaks, changing them from near horizontal to vertical, the caps worn by Guardsmen & NCOs indicate rank by the number of brass bands on the peak, as well as by the design & materials used for the cap badge.

I don't know if the peaks of these caps are still slashed by a battalion's Regimental Tailors in order to achieve a professional & uniform appearance.

This cap judging by its construction & the owner's serial number dates from the mid 1970's - 1980, there is a circular ink stamp on the back of the pink rubbery sweatband but it's too faint to be read & the paper label which would originally have been stuck ro the inside of the top of the cap is no longer there.

The peak is, I think, of black plastc rather than leather, the chinstrap is black plastic with blued or blackened metal fittings.

The cap buttons are gold anodsed, bearng the St Edwards Crown above the reversed & intertwined cypher of Queen Elisabeth II, a small flamed grenade is below the cypher.

The brass binding alone to the peak would indicate that the wearer's rank is that of "Guardsman", with the additional curved strip of brass, it is that of "Lance Sergeant", equivalent in line inantry units to "Corporal".

Written on the inside of the top of the cap is "24492835 LSGT SMITH K.", the sweatband has been folded inwards to double its thickness & thus make for a better fit for the wearer, wrtten in pencil on the sweatband is "SGT GARDNER" & a few indecypherable symbols that may be the last four digits of Sgt Gardner's serial number.

The brass ware on the peak indicates that the wearer is a Lance Sergeant as per L/SGT Smith, but there is the "ghost" impression af an additonal curved strip, which if still in place would make the wearer's rank Sergeant ("Full Sergeant" or "Gold Sergeant, from the colour of the L/Sgt's rank chevrons (white) & the Full Sergeant's (gold bullion) in Full Dress) as per Sgt Gardner.

Presumably the cap has been reissued after use by Sgt Gardner to L/Sgt Smith, & therefore a brass band removed.

I have an idea that these bands are added / removed by Regimental Tailors, as well as the caps being produced with various numbers, is that the case?

The cap came to me without a badge, I've fitted a gilding metal badge with west / east wire loop fittings. through holes already made in the cap.

I have'nt fitted a gold anodised badge as although they were & I believe still are in production (they were amongst the very earliest badges produced in anodised, introduced about 1952 I think)every ex-Grenadier Guardsman I've met has maintained that they were'nt / are'nt worn being issued but wth the instruction to buy a metal one. Some maintain that they've never seen an anodised badge & were'nt aware that they existed, tho' I have a vague recollection of seeing Grenadiers wearing them in about 1970, at The Tower of London.

The grenade with plain unornamented ball is appropriate to the rank of Lance Sergeant.

Edited May 8, 2010 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

The beige coloured fabric around the the rim of the headband of the cap shows the original width of the peak prior to it's beng tailored - it's been reduced by just over 1" each side.

Also apparent is the angle of the slashed peak, beyond the vertical so that if the cap was worn with the level around the head rather than raised above the horizontal at the front, the peak would be curving inwards towards the wearer's face.

[coldstream]

Leigh

As far as I can remember the bands on the peaks were put there by the manufacturer and not the Regimental tailors. I would imagine that fixing or removing one of the bands would be very difficult. On promotion the cap would be put in the tailors and fitted with a completely new peak. Officially, in the Coldstream Guards at least slashing peaks was not allowed and was really the mark of an 'old sweat'. All NCO'S would have had the slashed peak as a matter of course but I remember as a young Guardsman longing for the day I could stick the slashed peak on and consider myself an old soldier.

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks, a bit of a strange one this then, the cap is named to a Lance Sergeant but at one time has had the edge bnding & double band of a Full Sergeant......