Australian WW1 Slouch Hats

[Flasheart]

Guys,

I have only recently started posting to GMIC, so I thought you might like to see my original WW1 Australian Slouch Hats. Perhaps the most iconic aspect of the Australian soldier's uniform and still worn today in an almost unchanged form.

There must have been two million + made during WW1 but very few have survived. Destroyed, worn through the depression, worn out, thrown out, now as rare as hens teeth and much sought after, but rarely for sale. 

Mike


# 1.   The first is an English manufactured slouch hat, wool-felt, wool puggaree, slider badge. All original circa 1917:

 

 

 

# 2.   The next an absolute beauty. A 1918 dated 'Austral Hat Co', as close to mint as you would get in a WW1 hat, marked to a soldier from 114 Howitzer Battery. Soft rabbit felt, wool puggaree, pin and loop rising sun badge.

 

 

 

# 3.   The next one is a UNION 1917 hat, soft rabbit felt, heavy cotton puggaree, inspector stamped 'TB', marked to a 3rd Light Horse Regiment soldier, slider badge.

 

# 4.   A beautifully preserved Union Hat Mills 1916 dated slouch hat

 

 

# 5.   This hat belonged to CAPT E.J. Parkes, 16th Battalion , Australian Imperial Forces. A  "C. Anderson" hat, dated 1918, cotton puggaree, inspector stamped, pinned badge. With this group are his ribbon bars, miniature medals, photo of Parkes, engraved hip flask and two Mentioned in Dispatches certificates. An incredibly rare group. By 1918 CAPT Parkes had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was Commanding Officer 16th Battalion AIF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

# 6.  And his battered old thing. The slouch hat was squashed flat when I got it, and looked like it had been that way for decades. Worn, battered, stiff with age, no sweatband, edge-stitching long-gone but all original. I have gradually coaxed it out of its flattened state and braced it to keep it supported. It has a wool puggaree and a pinned badge that has been there forever. My guess is that it is an original and battle-worn 3rd Div hat (AIF badge on the front, and rim worn flat rather than turned up). I like this hat, it has a lot of character.


Mike

Edited January 31, 2017 by Flasheart

[Brett Hendey]

A very impressive collection!  Thank you for sharing it with us.

Regards

Brett

[peter monahan]

Indeed!  Lovely things.  I particularly like the last one, but then that may be because I have a similar hat I wear in the summer, with the brim flat, not turned up!  Thanks for sharing these.

[Robert Rytir]

Great collection and i agree rare as hens teeth as I have only 1 1918 dated and have been looking for years to find them.

 

Rob

[BigCity]

Pretty awesome, rare collection Mike.  I like it!

[Tony]

I'm with Peter, the last one is a cracker and must've been difficult to get back into shape.

[aussiesoldier]

Well done, Mike.  Fascinating series of variation in design of the pugaree/hat band.  Photographs of the Light Horse clearly show many of these variations, sometimes in the same photo, and one with the 6th ALH with their koala pugaree.

[Robert Rytir]

1 hour ago, aussiesoldier said:

Well done, Mike.  Fascinating series of variation in design of the pugaree/hat band.  Photographs of the Light Horse clearly show many of these variations, sometimes in the same photo, and one with the 6th ALH with their koala pugaree.

Actually it was Wallaby fur used for the pugaree on the 6th LH  slouch hats not Koala. 

 

Rob

[Brunob]

Hi Mike  I have just acquired a 1916 slouch hat made by Union. Do you know much about them. From what I found they may be a New Zealand company 

[Jerry B]

a shame so many of the pictures are gone (linked to GHV?)

 

the 1918 is visible and a beauty, as is the 1916, the rest are gone