The khaki beret was introduced in 1942 for wear by members of the Reconnaissance Corps and motor battalions of Infantry. It’s use was extended in 1943 to personnel of light scout car companies and in 1943 the army authorised its wear by colonels and above, standardising what seems to have already become standard practice. After the war the beret became the army’s standard headdress, although most wore the midnight blue version. The khaki example continued to be worn by some regiments however and tonight we have an early post war example to look at:
Unlike the GS cap, the beret is knitted as a single piece and when laid flat is a circular shape without any seams or stitching in the main body:
A pair of metal eyelets are sewn into the crown of the beret, just above the leather sweat band:
The size of the beret can be adjusted slightly due to a draw cord through the sweat band that is secured by a small bow at the rear:
The interior of the beret is black fabric, with sizing, date of manufacture and maker’s name stamped inside in white:
Occasionally unscrupulous sellers try to modify these to a wartime date in the hope of selling them for a higher price- changing an ‘8’ to a ‘3’ for instance. Happily this example has escaped this fate and remains in good condition and one advantage of buying a post war example is that you can be sure it’s genuine- if you were faking one you would make sure it was wartime dated!
Kangol was founded in Britain in 1920 and its name is an amalgam of three words: K was for knitting,the ANG was for angora, and the OL was for wool.
These covers were used in a number of situations where for safety it was essential the wearer was visible. Range staff might be issued them to ensure all fires could see the safety personnel, but far more commonly they were used when troops were marching on public roads in combination with hi-vis rucksack covers to prevent drivers from hitting a column of marching men on the road.
A stores label is stuck to the outside of the bag with a barcode, stores code and description printed on it:
This is repeated on the internal label:
The cover is a simple cloth bag, with a string around the bottom edge to draw it tight around the helmet shell:
The helmet cover is made in yellow, with a broad reflective strip surrounding the whole cover. There is obviously no need for camouflage loops, but the distinctive tab and press stud for securing items to the helmet is retained:
These helmet covers are ridiculously cheap on the surplus market, this example cost me just £1, and whilst they are of limited utility as a collector it is always nice to have a full collection of all variations so I have been pleased to add another one to my collection.
This helmet is in the standard light grey paint, put a dark green panel has been painted on the front with the words ‘Rest Centre’ neatly painted on this:
The Zuckerman helmet was specially developed for civilian use and whilst not offering the ballistic protection of a military helmet, it was ideal for protection during air raids. Examples were issued by local authorities and it was also available for purchase by civilians for a few shillings.
The other stamp on the underside of the rim indicates that it was made by Rubery Owen Company Ltd of Leeds in 1941:
The underside of the helmet shows the liner and the loops for a chin strap:
Chin straps were not supplied with these helmets, but users were advised that they could add their own and examples turn up with a wide variety of different chin straps, some as sophisticated as the standard army ones, others just a piece of ribbon.
The helmets were distributed with the liner unattached and an instruction sheet advising users how to set their helmet up for use:
The hat is a shade or two lighter in colour compared to the wartime design, however that may just be down to extensive wear and fading. The design is broadly similar to its earlier incarnation, with circular stitching round the rim to reinforce it:
And loops for vegetation to be attached:
The top vents are covered with brass grilles, however this hat has clearly had a hard life and they are heavily corroded:
One new feature to this pattern of hat is the addition of two fabric tabs with metal grommets in them on the underside of the hat:
These allow a chinstrap to be threaded through if required. The inside of the hat has a stamped size, 7, and both an NSN number and what appears to be an old style stores code:
This suggests that the hat was made in that transitional period in the 1960s when NSN numbers were just starting to be introduced. This boonie hat was clearly used, as the original owner has written his name and regiment inside in permanent marker:
The boonie’s longevity is due to a number of factors. It is comfortable, effective at protecting the wearer’s head from sun and rain and can easily be folded flat to put in a pocket:
It also has that indefinable ‘allyness’ that soldiers are always seeking- the wearer of a battered boonie is automatically a grizzled veteran who has seen much action (regardless of whether he used his boonie for years in the jungle or had just bought one from Silvermans…). These hats are then customised as one ex-regular explains:
The other major upgrade was to the internal harness to make the helmet more comfortable for sustained wear. The earlier MK 6 had a simple drawstring to adjust the fit and was notorious for being uncomfortable:
The new mark added a mesh panel where the helmet fitted to the top of the head:
And padded panels at both front and back:
On this example its former owner has clearly decided that this needed further enhancement and a first field dressing has been rolled up and tucked into the top of the helmet to add further cushioning:
This was a common field modification done by soldiers who could be expected to spend many hours if not days wearing the helmet on operation. Despite the upgraded liner, many soldiers still wished to improve the liner: