WWII British Royal Air Force RAF officer's & hat badge

**LizardKing** · 01-26-2011, 01:31 PM

Can you help with this hat? ww2 or post war?

**Blackpowder44** · 01-26-2011, 10:50 PM

The buttons have the kings crown as does the main badge, therefor before 1953 when our present Queen came to the throne. As to precice date, dont know. John.

**LizardKing** · 01-26-2011, 10:52 PM

so it is before 1953, right? thanks a lot John!

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-27-2011, 08:30 AM

Pre 1953 and most likely wartime but impossible to be 100% sure.

Cheers, Ade.

**helldunkle** · 01-28-2011, 06:10 PM

The insigna doesnt look original to the cap, it looks too new and unworn compared to the buttons (notice the holes under the officers badge that could be for an airmans cap badge). Also, its strange to see a size 56 number ink stamp. All the ww2 era caps I own are in imperial measurements.

**helldunkle** · 01-29-2011, 11:59 AM

The dutch used this pattern of cap post war. Perhaps this could explain the metric size stamp. Officers caps were made of finer material than the one in my pic.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-29-2011, 12:08 PM

Could be a wartime cap re-issued to a Continental air force. The cap in question is so worn it is hard to say if the material is Officers quality or OR's.

There are certainly much better exaples out there to buy.

Cheers, Ade.

**helldunkle** · 01-30-2011, 11:57 AM

I notice the cap isn't lined either as all the ones I own are, even the OR examples are lined. There are many examples for sale but good ones are fetching good money now. recently I saw a 42' dated OR cap sell for £210......I bought a mint OR 43' dated one for £50 a few weeks ago. Last year I was paying £15-£20 for the same type of cap.

**Patgore** · 01-30-2011, 02:50 PM

The switch from king's crown to queen's crown took place in 1953 as noted, and all kit produced after then should reflect this.

However large quantities of wartime KC kit was still in store after the Queen's accession and was issued as required.

When I joined the army in 1957 I was issued with two badges, a KC brass and a QC anodized.

BTW our radio batteries were dated 1942 (worth more now than then?). Quartermasters never write off crap if they can issue it.

Cheers,

Pat