Article about: It arrived and though I had some doubts as did a few members here, in the hand it is fine IMO, though perhaps others will have information to cast doubts on that. It is hard to find good det
It arrived and though I had some doubts as did a few members here, in the hand it is fine IMO, though perhaps others will have information to cast doubts on that. It is hard to find good detailed images of late 30's early 40's examples (the press stud was introduced circa 1942) with a hook and eyes fitting and cloth edge trim (again removed circa 1942). The sweatband is leather with a vinyl piece between it and the felt which is exactly matched by my 1943 dated example, whilst the post war example I own has an all vinyl example. Sadly there is no signs of any markings on it, though from searching a ;long thread on the WAF, this is not uncommon.
The grommets are the original early type being a bright darkish brownish red and there are no signs they have been tampered with in any way, either replaced or recoloured.
The pug band has faint traces of a size mark on the inside, in imperial size 7&1/? and some faint other marks that I can't make out, perhaps wetting it might make them clearer. It is obviously not a modern example, but hard to date it exactly and it might have been added to it, though it can be seen that it is quite dirty and when it is removed there is a clear difference in colour behind where it sits on the hat. Other than the colour patch being for an arty unit, I have yet to ID it completely.
Unusually, it has a collar badge on the turn up which perhaps might be a good sign as original full size cap badges are easy to get these days and it seems a dumb mistake for a faker to make., Also it is clearly the only badge that has been on there and has been there for a long time.
In the end after some doubts, I think its a good one, though perhaps spent its war in the depot or in a locker and not in action.
An update as the color patch has been id'd as a war time produced type but was one that was never in the end used, so it seems someone added an unused patch to what was probably an unused Slouchie. The only way to tell how long its been on the pug would be to remove it and see if there is a difference in colour behind the patch and see if it was there before the pug got dirty.
The Color patch is a patch manufactured in Western Australia during the wartime period as a result of a request by HQ 1 Aust Armd Div for the new HQRAA 1 Aust Armd Div. It was passed to LHQ for approval with the recommendation by HQ 3 Aust Corps that it be worn by all units of RAA 1 Aust Armd Div.
Everytime I see one of these posted that are always pretty ratty.
As you say Michael, a rare example being in such good condition and almost certainly a depot or locker survivor. I have another mint unused example and 5 very worn examples, the latter more typical of those you see. The moths are big fans of the fur felt they are made of and that combined with the conditions encountered in the Jungle does make many of them rather ratty 70 years later.
Even with the pimping I am still mostly happy to get this slouchie.
Odd that the same patch, depending on which way up it is, can be id'd as one unit when its in one orientation, but if the other way up is for another unit and was never issued/used.
Hi Jerry, nice slouchie, maybe this was a factory example/prototype for presentation to the War Dept? It all looks as though it has been together from day one to me. Leon.
pre or early WWII type Aussie Slouch hat
its just an opinion.
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by MAP
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