Headwear

Service Dress Cap

This cap was adopted for use by the British army in 1909. It was worn by all enlisted men in the infantry and cavalry. It was made of khaki serge with a small, re-enforced peak which was green on the underside. It had two small General Service (GS) buttons at its sides to secure a brown leather chinstrap. The cap had a wire stiffener in the crown to give it its smart look. This was often removed by soldiers in the trenches for comfort. The cap badge has a brass slide on the back and literally slips onto the cap. As the war progressed and metals became more scarce, 'economy issue' cap badges were issued, made totally out of brass. The SD cap was replaced in 1915 by a soft cap with ear flaps, known as a 'gorblimey.' However this proved to be even less suitable for trench warfare as it provided a haven for lice! Thus for most of 1916 the stiff cap became the soldiers' standard headwear again until the adoption of the trench cap.

Trench cap

Introduced in late 1916 this cap was a good solution to the problem of soft headear in the trenches. While the helmet was worn it could be rolled up and stored in the pack. At all other times it was comfortable and could be smart depending on the inclination of the wearer. The below photographs are of an original cap (badged to the Sommerset Light Infantry). Note the black, tarred lining which gave the cap some rigidity while still being pliable enough to roll up. Some caps were made without this liner, but based on surviving examples, seem less common. The chinstrap was made of brown leather.