The cotton gabardine combat cap was introduced by the British Army in 1951 as part of a wider array of new uniforms- although these were to be manufactured from cotton sateen from the following year the cap continued in its original form. The cap was a popular item, remaining in use until 1972 when a DPM cap was introduced to replace it. The cap itself is of a conventional peaked design, the fabric being waterproof to make it effective in all weathers:A chin strap is provided where the cap joins the peak, adjusted by a pressed metal buckle:Note the lines of stitching above where a cap badge slider can be passed through. It does seem odd today to wear a cap badge with what is essentially a combat item, but regimental traditions are strong in the British Army and this is by no means unusual- cap badges being brazed or painted on steel helmets in Word War one. Metal vents are provided in the crown for ventilation:These are of the same pattern as that used in the 1944 pattern jungle ‘boonie hat’. A leather band inside helps absorb sweat:Details of how to wear this cap are printed on a white label sewn into the leather band:This cap was made by Compton and Webb in the 1950s (the last digit is unclear) and is supposedly a size 7- it seems to be smaller though:The innovative feature of the cap is a neckflap that is folded up around the cap when not in use, this unpoppers and folds out to protect the back of the neck and provide much needed warmth:The inside of this is lined with wool:This emphasis on warmth is clearly based on early experience in the Korean War when Commonwealth troops suffered particularly badly from the low temperatures, however the first prototypes predate this by a few years, so it seems the ideas were already being formulated. This image comes form the Daily Mail in 1949 and shows a new army uniform under trial, including what is referred to as a ‘ski cap’:Clearly this is the protoype for the 1951 pattern combat cap.  The paper reported that the army committee designing the new uniform was guided by three main principles, ” ease of movement, protection against heat and cold, and durability.” The cap that was eventually introduced is extremely well made and consequently was expensive to produce, it was also difficult to clean effectively. Despite these drawbacks it remained popular for many years after its supposed withdrawal.