The air vents on pre Korea hats should be a different shade of brown to the rest of the hat.....After Korea they were produced with air vents the same colour as the felt!!
A handy rule of thumb!!
The air vents on pre Korea hats should be a different shade of brown to the rest of the hat.....After Korea they were produced with air vents the same colour as the felt!!
A handy rule of thumb!!
Yep your right, meant to say a different shade of brown or green!!
I have been approached by the Australian ,Canberra War Memorial asking me to donate my Great-Grandfather's Australian Boer War Slouch Hat. Apparently it is one of the oldest known original Slouch Hats, particularly in private hands, circa 1890's ,5th Victorian Mounted Rifles. Does anyone know of any others ??
Thanks Mick,
We found the repro and would have bought it if it was not so expensive. From comparing the pic on ebay to the original photo's it looks far too high in the crown. If you compare the height of fabric above the band in the two images you'll see the original is much shallower. For that kind of money I would expect it to be right.
You need to remember, that these hats were "personalised" once issued....my own slouch hats I had when I was in the army between 1991-2008, we're issued unbashed, they were just a hat, that you then went and bashed with hot water, to get the correct shape in the top of the crown....there were many methods used to get the shape in the crown from bash blocks, to shaping it yourself using a spoon, so even though there was a correct shape that was supposed to be achieved, you had a rough guide as to where it should b folded, manipulated and the width of the gap in the middle....so there was a lot of variation in heights and widths....so long as it looked the right shape it was ok....then once you began wearing it, taking it off and putting it on, your fingers would cause creases and the hat would be very personalised to you.....it gets to the point where you are able to tell your own hat just by feeling the crown....obviously if it got too out of shape, then a senior NCO would certainly remind you to rehash it or get a new one!!
This is certainly one peice of military headgear where you can't look at it and say its the wrong shape because it doesn't conform to any height or width lay down in regs.....these are worn everyday in all weather conditions and certainly gain their own character!!!
Ahh Lovely I know of none
Place this one on it's own thread with detailed shots, this is interesting
That repro nurses hat is correct, nothing wrong with it, wear it a few times an it will bash nicely and get that lived in look....I even think these hats are Akubras....same manufacturer as wartime and still making slouch hats for the Australian Army.. They are made of rabbit pelts....6 rabbits per hat!
Thanks, interesting. I see what you mean, but the girls would be unlikely to be able to reduce the height of the sides by quite that amount wouldn't you say? Unless maybe they removed the brim, cut the crown down and sewed the brim back on?
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