Ive just got my hands on a nice 1945 British Issue slouch hat.
Its brown felt. However it has a small brown cotton band around the hat.
Ive seen some of the slouch hat in WW2 photos with a pugri.
The hat looks great, but should it have a pugri or not?
Regards Bob.
If you look at photo's, some did, some didn't and in most cases the photo isn't clear enough to tell. In most photo's where the hats are worn in a more formal setting there is a puggaree, any of troops wading across rivers etc. the hats vary. I would therefore guess that hats should have puggarees but that they might be removed to keep it clean when in action. This would also be easier than unstitching the unit insignia from the side of the puggaree.
The Aussies used a plain woolen band at the start of the war and reinstated the puggaree late in the war.
This I believe is Aussies leaving Tobruk, notice the plain band.
If you look at photo's, some did, some didn't and in most cases the photo isn't clear enough to tell. In most photo's where the hats are worn in a more formal setting there is a puggaree, any of troops wading across rivers etc. the hats vary. I would therefore guess that hats should have puggarees but that they might be removed to keep it clean when in action. This would also be easier than unstitching the unit insignia from the side of the puggaree.
The Aussies used a plain woolen band at the start of the war and reinstated the puggaree late in the war.
This I believe is Aussies leaving Tobruk, notice the plain band.
Thanks so much for the reply!
My slouch has a much smaller band at about two inches.
However its going to look good. I have my OG shirt and trousers, puttee's & boots. With P37 webbing the similar colour to the hat it should make a nice contrast. I also have a nice Kukri knife and a jungle knife.
Sounds cool. I just forked out for the Aussie service dress jacket and a hat from spearhead. I plan to get some jungle greens eventually but 1st I will need the correct boots, an SMLE, a stupidly long bayonet.... Hopefully the small dog is an optional extra 
Sounds cool. I just forked out for the Aussie service dress jacket and a hat from spearhead. I plan to get some jungle greens eventually but 1st I will need the correct boots, an SMLE, a stupidly long bayonet.... Hopefully the small dog is an optional extra
I have some well used army boots that look the part!
I dont think they are official, but who cares.
I have a good interest in this area as my Father fought in Burma. He was attached to a Gurkha regiment as a Bren Gunner.
I have another question within this thread.
What would be traditional headgear for say off combat, off duty?
Beret or something else?
My guess would be that the slouch hat would be used off duty as you would still be somewhere very sunny like India. I'm sure I read whilst looking into the hats that British soldiers in Gurkha regiments originally were supposed to have different head wear (probably the unpopular GS cap). This was changed because they all started wearing the Gurkha slouch hats anyway. A brodie helmet would be the correct hat for in battle but as it may have been discarded in favour of extra food and water and battles were usually ambushes where you would not have time to change headgear...
My guess would be that the slouch hat would be used off duty as you would still be somewhere very sunny like India. I'm sure I read whilst looking into the hats that British soldiers in Gurkha regiments originally were supposed to have different head wear (probably the unpopular GS cap). This was changed because they all started wearing the Gurkha slouch hats anyway. A brodie helmet would be the correct hat for in battle but as it may have been discarded in favour of extra food and water and battles were usually ambushes where you would not have time to change headgear...
Thanks for the reply.
I think ill just stick with my slouch hat. When my Dad was on leave they were send to somewhere on the Indian coast. They called it "Candy Beach"!
