Para impression (feedback)

Beret looks a little 70/80's Ni, dont pull it down so hard over your ear. There is little right and wrong with WW2 beret wearing, you do see them worn as you have yours but I'd wager if we got every photo of a beret worn in combat few would look like yours. Go casual.
You look like you belong in kit so the details are not that important for you to look the part.

Yup... looks like a good start.

About the only things I noticed (and I had to look very closely) that you haven't mentioned already are that the beret is the small crown modern version and I can't quite tell but the anklets look to maybe be on the wrong way around? The leather tabs should face backwards.

You're wearing it well though. Webbing looks to be in the right place and put together properly. Trousers are nicely bloused.

Beret looks a little 70/80's Ni, dont pull it down so hard over your ear. There is little right and wrong with WW2 beret wearing, you do see them worn as you have yours but I'd wager if we got every photo of a beret worn in combat few would look like yours. Go casual.
You look like you belong in kit so the details are not that important for you to look the part.

Yea the beret is a bit of a bugger. I did a stint in the infantry many years ago so of course the first thing i did when i got the beret was to fill the sink with boiling water . . . I think i'll buy another one, slightly bigger size this time and NOT shape it at all, just give it a little stretch in the right direction.

Yup... looks like a good start.

About the only things I noticed (and I had to look very closely) that you haven't mentioned already are that the beret is the small crown modern version and I can't quite tell but the anklets look to maybe be on the wrong way around? The leather tabs should face backwards.

You're wearing it well though. Webbing looks to be in the right place and put together properly. Trousers are nicely bloused.

Ah i didnt know about the cap badge, the WWII versions have a bigger crown ? Also were they gold or silver in colour ? And i wasnt too sure about the anklets so thanks for that. Yes i did have them with the tabs facing forwards, guess i had them on the wrong feet ! I wsnt sure whether the tabs were meant to be on the outside or the inside . . .

Thanks chaps

When Yith refers to the crown of the beret, he's not talking about the badge but the diameter of the beret itself, the ww2 berets are a larger diameter then the modern ones, with regard to the badge you just need to make sure you've got a 'kings crown' and not the 'queens crown' which modern ones have.

Overall a good start, about the same as I wore for my first CiA game

When I said "crown", I didn't mean on the badge. I meant the beret.

The WWII beret had a 10 1/2" crown which meant it was a lot bigger and floppier than modern ones. SoF and other places do repros, so if you are going to get another beret, get one of those rather than another modern one.

Yes, the anklet straps should be on the outside of your ankles, leather tabs pointing backwards otherwise you tend to catch undergrowth in them!

The badge should be silver with the dome top kings crown.

Ahhhhh Crown

Righto, yea floppy beret im with you. Yea i picked up mine from the local army surplus (and the cap-badge from ebay) so im guessing they are both too modern

Off to SoF i go . . . My poor bank balance !

Absolutely *nothing* wrong with shaping a beret. This discussion came up on the pozzi forum and a chap who was ACTUALLY THERE (i.e fought in wwii) told us that it was very common to shape the beret with hot and cold water.

The belief berets must not be shaped is something i here from re-enactors but photo evidence shows it happened and veterans recall doing so.

I shape mine and they look fine. It is better to get a large crown one then.

Its like most things with British 40s uniform. It can be worn as is and you look like a sack of spuds tied at the middle, many 'citezen soldiers' who didnt want to be there cared very little about how there kit looked and did the minimum to avoid a bollocking.

The professional soldiers in the army would often stylise and smarten up their kit by ironing, shaping and re tailoring it to look smarter.

Off to SoF i go . . . My poor bank balance !

Wait 'til you start getting the urge to turn to the Dark Side. These will seem like the golden days.-- attachment is not available --

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Take a look at the berets here.

Some may be shaped, but they're certainly not 70s/80s style.

Where I have exactly the opposite story from guys who were there. We did a display for a dedication at Hardwick Hall about 5 or 6 years ago. Members of the group at that time were ex-para and a couple of the vets said they wore berets in too much of a modern style, pulled hard down over the ear.
Like I said, there is little right or wrong with beret wearing in WW2. You see every way possible and some that look impossible.
Here is one shot that shows any number of ways including the 'modern' style. http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/ ... y_high.jpg And that is for an official photo. When you get to combat shots the shaped beret is a rare beast indeed.

The veteran Gadge was talking to was the RTR one who spends quite a lot of time on Pozzi's forum.

I'm aware of the fellow and he is a good and helpful chap.
This just goes to show you cannot place too much faith on one story, be it from a vet or otherwise. Take it on board and treat it with respect but dont base your impression on one memory or even one photo.
What one guy/unit even nation did often has no bearing on what went on elsewhere.

I always find looking at pictures like that very haunting

Those are some BIG berets . . . Ultra-floppy it is

... dont base your impression on one memory or even one photo.

Perhaps unless your impression is of that one memory/photo.

I always find looking at pictures like that very haunting

Keep looking... It's looking at pics like that, that will make your impression better... They're much more reliable than any memory or re-enactor's opinion.

I'm aware of the fellow and he is a good and helpful chap.
This just goes to show you cannot place too much faith on one story, be it from a vet or otherwise. Take it on board and treat it with respect but dont base your impression on one memory or even one photo.
What one guy/unit even nation did often has no bearing on what went on elsewhere.

Erm, yeah I have spent six years researching the South Staffords...

And its quite blatantly a case of some berets were shaped some were not, personal preference and neither is wrong.

As for the canadians!!
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/ ... y_high.jpg