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WW2 British Made Wool Knit Caps ... in red !


Murphy92
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Hi from France :)

I found recently near Paris these beanies both :

p1140619.jpg

They were not tainted after assembly. The wool used to make them is good of red color:

p1140617.jpg

 

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. One of them still has the label giving evidence that it is about an English manufacturing dating 1943 :

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On a French forum, we referred me to the track of a hairdressing survival signal for pilots and members of crews lost at sea or survival gear for cold region even Arctic

Of what think of it you? Have already met you this kind(genre) of hairstyle?

Thank you in advance for the information that you can pass on(transmit) me.
Regards
Murph '

 

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Interesting cap. The tag doesn't seem to be discolored right?

 

From what we're gathering, OP says on another forum this has been IDed as Survival cap for Aircrew, Red (I think it's more Orange too doyler) for visibility when downed.

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Im not sure about the survival conection.

 

Granted the jeep cap was worn by many in the Army and Army Air Corps.I even have one in a nurses group.The Air Corps had survival hats in the kits

and the had the A4 knit cap(like the watch cap) for wear as well in cold enviorments.Never seen a red A4 cap either

 

Maybe Dustin or Survival can shed more information on these red caps.

 

Personally I dont see them as such.

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Would this be something made by this particular firm during the war for the civilian market in England, just using different color wool???

 

Not in my opinion.The broad arrow is a military stamp much like on the FS fighting knives.There were private purchase knives but the ones with broad arrow were issue items.

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Hi everybody :)
Thank you for your interventions ...
I will try to take pictures in natural light but for information the wool is really red pulling effect to orange.
As for the track "hair survival" I'm just relaying a French hypothesis non further supported by official documentation.
Also, I am always curious for informations you can provide me about this "UFO"
:)

Regards

Murph'

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Not in my opinion.The broad arrow is a military stamp much like on the FS fighting knives.There were private purchase knives but the ones with broad arrow were issue items.

Right, Broad Arrow.

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Shouldn't the tag be white with black lettering? looks like the tag was dyed...or maybe that is the color reflecting from the red wool...red wool jeep caps would go nice with an Aero or JA Dubow A-2 with berry knits...

 

post-155518-0-01423300-1474997865_thumb.jpg

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Shouldn't the tag be white with black lettering? looks like the tag was dyed...or maybe that is the color reflecting from the red wool...red wool jeep caps would go nice with an Aero or JA Dubow A-2 with berry knits...

 

That,s a good description of the color of the cap, Berry.

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Hi :)

Here's more pics... take under natural light ...

p1140621.jpg

 

p1140620.jpg

 

p1140622.jpg

 

Indeed, the label is slightly rosie .. but over all the sewing thread is khaki or OD ...
meanwhile, the term to refer berry color seems appropriate and in any case this color approaches wool elements A2 jacket distributed by Phantomfixer :dry:

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Odd for sure! For it to be affective as a recognition aid it would need to be much more brilliant or contrasting. This cap surely would had received poor reviews upon service testing as a "survival" cap. At a very limited distance this cap would be no different than the OD type visually. Yellow or orange/yellow was the standard at that time frame and just cannot buy this as a "survival" cap.

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While doyler pointed out the British War Department Broad Arrow tag marks this as Crown property, or Government made (for Reverse Lend Lease). I'm getting the feeling that this is a post war civilian dyed job. Maybe even dyed by the company that made them as these were overstocks, or dyed by a surplus store or whatever there called in England, or some other clothing store in England, even somewhere on the continent. Because as I agree with dustin point out, despite it's "Bright" Color, it's still Low Vis for a survival cap, and would not be for U.S. Army acquisition.

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This same lable and manufacturer is shown in forum member Ben Majors book on Brit made US gear and clothing.The cap that is pictured in Bens book was fron Johans collection with this lable.

 

Ben states the Brit made jeep caps tend to be a more brown olive drab than its US made OD cousin.

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We know that the British made caps were of a darker more brownish colour. As has been said, these are too dull to be some sort of survival item.

 

It is possible that they have been over dyed at some stage, however, the colours in the digital photographs may not reflect the exact colour if the caps either.

 

IMHO these are regular jeep caps that are British Made.

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norwegian blue

Hello

these have been dyed to give them more appeal on the French post war surplus market

I remember Brit made ETO Jackets (ouch!) dyed the same strange reddish color, and others dyed bright green!

the dye only bled slightly on the coated fabric label, as the caps were probably mint (i.e. unwashed) when "reconditioned"

Just my two cents....

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi everybody

Take a look at this thread : http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/277675-usaf-museum-wasp-display/

now, a BLUE beanie (on the third display) :)

Very interesting, I would think though, that unlike the British Berry colored one, this Blue one for WASPs was both U.S. Made and Specifically made in Blue.

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