Royal flying corps cap: Opinions please

**helldunkle** · 06-02-2012, 11:20 AM

Compared to my 37' pattern caps this cap is made from propper 'hairy' serge material, it has a fragile wide oilcloth sweatband and a lining that looks like it used to be red but has faded to a redish brown. GS buttons on the front and a bladed RFC badge. Could it be an other ranks RFC cap? I've tryed to research RFC caps to made a comparison but most are officers quality caps with padded lining and some just look like ww2 caps with a RFC badge and buttons stuck on. What have I got here?

**helldunkle** · 06-03-2012, 10:07 AM

I guess nobody else knows anything about these caps either.

**Danmark** · 06-03-2012, 10:22 AM

Hang in there bud, it takes some time for the world to turn and all the members to get around to reviewing all the posts!

Cheers, Dan

**helldunkle** · 06-03-2012, 11:42 AM

by Danmark

Hang in there bud, it takes some time for the world to turn and all the members to get around to reviewing all the posts!

Cheers, Dan

Yeah....I need to learn some patience

**TestMatch** · 06-03-2012, 03:44 PM

I will look for mine, but it will take me 24hours or so, and try and post some pictures. Mine has RFC buttons as well and is certainly different material than later caps.

**Battery Command Post** · 06-03-2012, 04:34 PM

It's very hard to be sure. I'm afraid i only have an original officer's cap, which won't really help.

My first impression is that it looks like a ww2 cap with a RFC badge. I don't see any evidence of the chinstrap hook that was a feature of RFC ORs caps and, of course, a bladed badge (by which i'm assuming you mean officer type fixings) is anachronistic with an RFC man.

Some better pictures of the interior might help

Rob

**helldunkle** · 06-03-2012, 07:46 PM

Ok i will take some better photos of the interior, you can't see the colour properly in the one shown as it was taken at night. Also, no evidence of the chinstrap hangers, no stitching, nothing. The serge material is greener, softer and rougher than all my 37' pattern caps and yes bladed badge not one with 2 lugs.

**helldunkle** · 06-04-2012, 08:39 PM

well, I took some more and better photos of this cap and some next to one of my ww2 fs caps as a comparison. It has to said, they are nothing alike except in general pattern. The material is different from any ww2 fs cap I own, the lining is different, the sweatband is different and the colour is different. All the ww2 other ranks fs caps tend to be very similar. Bad news is I lost my camera whilst out at a farm with my little boy today, good news is I phoned them up and someone has actually handed my camera in to the reception desk! So will pick it up and post the photos tomorrow. I'm excited about this cap as its so different from all the others I own or have seen.

**Battery Command Post** · 06-05-2012, 04:00 AM

by helldunkle

well, I took some more and better photos of this cap and some next to one of my ww2 fs caps as a comparison. It has to said, they are nothing alike except in general pattern. The material is different from any ww2 fs cap I own, the lining is different, the sweatband is different and the colour is different. All the ww2 other ranks fs caps tend to be very similar. Bad news is I lost my camera whilst out at a farm with my little boy today, good news is I phoned them up and someone has actually handed my camera in to the reception desk! So will pick it up and post the photos tomorrow. I'm excited about this cap as its so different from all the others I own or have seen.

OK, looking forward to seeing them. I have to admit, i have never handled an example of an RFC ORs Field Service Cap, only an officers, although I do have other WWI headgear to refer to, and even a Victorian period FS Cap.

Hopefully it will turn out to be the real thing

Rob

**helldunkle** · 06-05-2012, 12:42 PM

Here are a few more photos. The cap is fully lined in a what I suspect was once a red lining that has turned reddish brown. The first photo compares a typical ww2 cap and the cap in question. Second photo is a typical ww2 fs cap interior. I have loads of these O/R ww2 caps and they are all the same inside and out. Ww2 officers caps are lined with slik usually, sometimes have a velvet comforter and are usually marked by the tailor.

Notice the difference in the interiors of the two caps, also the colour difference and difference in materials used. Measuring the caps I discovered that the cap in question has a peak that is 1/2" taller than its ww2 counterparts, the crown is taller and shaped a bit more like a torrin.