River Patrol Posted October 13, 2014 #1 Posted October 13, 2014 I found this in my travels recently. Does anyone know this camp? Thanks, Steve
BEAST Posted October 14, 2014 #2 Posted October 14, 2014 Camp Tophat, a virtual city of thousands of black 20-man tents on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium, also qualified (technically) as a Cigarette Camp since it was named after Belgian Tophat cigarettes "" Heres a link to a brief history http://www.skylighters.org/special/cigcamps/camptophat.html
River Patrol Posted October 14, 2014 Author #3 Posted October 14, 2014 Thanks Beast.....I tried multiple searches but came up with nothing. Good info.
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #4 Posted October 14, 2014 Living in Belgium, I have a particular interest in Top Hat Items... Here's front and back of a Camp Informational Leaflet
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #6 Posted October 14, 2014 Pictures taken at the Camp and upon boarding a ship US bound... (Unit unknown...)
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #7 Posted October 14, 2014 Making those bracelets seems to have been a popular pass-time...
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #8 Posted October 14, 2014 1945 Belgian magazine featuring an article on the Camp...
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #9 Posted October 14, 2014 Let me know if I can help you with more info... Cheers, Johan
Simon Lerenfort Posted October 14, 2014 #10 Posted October 14, 2014 Interesting items. Thanks for sharing them.
Johan Willaert Posted October 14, 2014 #11 Posted October 14, 2014 Camp Tophat also qualified (technically) as a Cigarette Camp since it was named after Belgian Tophat cigarettes "" I think the Camp may have come first and Cigarettes were named after it... In 1945 and 1946 the American forces set up a series of camps to bring their troops home after the end of World War II. The camps, most of which were located in France, were named after a brand of American cigarette, a desirable and valuable commodity (Camp Lucky Stripe, Camp Pall Mall, Camp Chesterfield, etc.). Tophat, a virtual city comprised of thousands of black 20-man tents was set up on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium in close proximity to its world-class harbor. Unlike the French "cigarette camps" it was named for the unit that built it, which had a tophat as their unit symbol. However, a Belgian cigarette company manufactured Tophat Cigarettes so it became unintentionally a "cigarette camp" after all. ( http://www.the-forum.com/ephemera/TOPHAT.HTM )
jgawne Posted October 14, 2014 #12 Posted October 14, 2014 I note on the cover of the magazine with the holding his duffel bag that he is carrying a helmet liner (no pot). Now I suppose maybe they separated them with the pot in the bag, and the liner to use as a sun helmet on deck, but I do find this odd. I wonder if there was, even for a while, a thing about leaving the pots in Europe, possibly as they had so many unissued in the states and any in country could be issued to European Armies starting up. Curious.
vintageproductions Posted October 29, 2014 #14 Posted October 29, 2014 Steve- Here is the patch for the camp
River Patrol Posted October 30, 2014 Author #15 Posted October 30, 2014 Steve- Here is the patch for the camp Ohhh...don't tell me they had a patch!
vintageproductions Posted October 30, 2014 #16 Posted October 30, 2014 Yup. When I first saw this I thought it was a odd variant of the USN Top Hatters sqd patch, but it was sewn to a heavily damaged nurse's wool overcoat. Then Dave Johnson & Dave Kaufman sent me photos of a painted sign at Camp Tophat, and I realized quickly it wasn't a sqd patch.....
kammo-man Posted October 30, 2014 #17 Posted October 30, 2014 Great posting here ! Learned something new today. owen
Mandy Posted October 31, 2014 #18 Posted October 31, 2014 The Tophat cigarette packs in my collection. Tom
mortaydc60 Posted November 9, 2014 #20 Posted November 9, 2014 Great information! Did not know that camp was named after cigarette brand. Very cool to see that the patch was copy of the logo. It is a rare patch and maybe could also be in shoulder patch section. Mort
Johan Willaert Posted November 9, 2014 #21 Posted November 9, 2014 Actually for this camp, it seems cigarettes were named after the Camp... As for the patch, it was commonly worn on the right shoulder of the uniform of the Camp's personnel, as shown on a picture of the Brass section of the Camp Top Hat Band.... Picture from the book: Camp Top Hat ISBN 90-5868-168-8
Johan Willaert Posted November 12, 2014 #23 Posted November 12, 2014 Thanks Bob, Here's a surviving Top Hat IKE jacket, worn by Donald ZOBEL Picture from same book
Timberwolf Posted November 15, 2014 #24 Posted November 15, 2014 That's an incredibly cool uniform! I wonder where it is now?
Guest kenv Posted January 30, 2015 #25 Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks Bob, Here's a surviving Top Hat IKE jacket, worn by Donald ZOBEL Picture from same book Hello , Do you sell items from Top Hat ? Greets Kenny from Holland !
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now