The Adventurer's Gear Thread

[Rooster]

With the spurs my guess would be Air Cav.

 

[Rooster]

The battledress blouse on the left looks like a pullover. The one on the right appears to be full-buttoning.

Does anyone have any information on these?

Were they standard issue for North Africa and/or the tropics?

They both look like pull overs to me. There were two shirts that I'm aware of that were made of aertex for tropical use. The pull over and the "Desert shirt". The later was pretty much like a belted bush jacket with out the belt..
Check out http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopdisplayproducts.asp?page=2

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Is that what these are or was the infamous Bombay bloomer blousier in the leg?

I was under the impression that Bombay Bloomers were convertable from trousers to shorts by buttoning up the legs, but i may be wrong. I'm no expert.

The guy on the left of the recent (colour) photos looks so much like Freddy Mercury.

bk

 

[Rooster]

I was under the impression that Bombay Bloomers were convertable from trousers to shorts by buttoning up the legs, but i may be wrong. I'm no expert.

That's what I understand. Also, many of these Bombay Bloomers were cut down to shorts at some point after they were made.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The pair of 1950 pattern Ghurka shorts i picked up - and will post photos soon - were right off the bail, and had very wide hams and pressed turn ups, which i thought was weird.

bk

 

[eightbore]

The guy on the left of the recent (colour) photos looks so much like Freddy Mercury.

Seems the "don't ask...don't tell" policy was applied in the Air Cav even then. I'm reluctant to comment on Freddy's potential uses for the spurs.

 

[Story]

Must have been a dress function, Helicopter Units wore the Slouch hats as an optional dress item for officers or just private purchase. When they really wanted to dress to impress, the hat came out. From your description these guys belonged to an Air Evac Unit. Absolutely fascinating.

Edit: And the spurs, just noticed them.

By the look of the seated fellows, our good Captain of Cavalry is conducting a press/VIP briefing (btdt lol ). My guess is that this was the orientation briefing given to the Thai medical contingent (although the guy on the extreme right might be Japanese).

The 'show and tell' schematic is for an Air Cav Squadron, with the lower row showing (from l. to r.) an Air Cav Troop, ground Troop, and what looks like three more Air Cav Troops.

Unit designation (right side of little rectangles) *may* be 1-4 Cav, which would make sense -
www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/1-4cav.htm

 

[John in Covina]

Given the below, what was the original shape of the campaign hat???

*************************
There is a few pictures of the earlier campaign hat such as pix of the Spanish American War to give you an idea in on of the Hat threads about campaign hats. To me it looks a bit like the slouch hat but that may be an unfair comparison. The Montana peak style comes in after 1900 but before WWI and that crown was higher in the undented portion than the current DI style campaign hat.

 

[BellyTank]

Can we get a pic of you wearing this?

Not for a while...


B
T

 

[Cobden]

The battledress blouse on the left looks like a pullover. The one on the right appears to be full-buttoning.

Does anyone have any information on these?

Were they standard issue for North Africa and/or the tropics?

Coat-fronted KD shirts didn't come in until after the war (although the KD BD blouses were coat fronted, these saw very limited use); I think it's more like that they are both pullover shirts, just that you can't see the bottom of the pullover front as the shirt is longer on the tall gentleman, and he's wearing his shorts higher.

 

[stevechasmar]

Origins of Campaign Hat

*************************
There is a few pictures of the earlier campaign hat such as pix of the Spanish American War to give you an idea in on of the Hat threads about campaign hats. To me it looks a bit like the slouch hat but that may be an unfair comparison. The Montana peak style comes in after 1900 but before WWI and that crown was higher in the undented portion than the current DI style campaign hat.

Here is a photo that I found in an old album that belonged to an American officer based in the Philippines in the early 20th century. I'm guessing that this hat is the "Montana peak style" that John in Covina mentions in his post. The photo was taken around 1910 at Baguio, the old hill station and summer capital of the American Philippines Islands.

 

[Yorker]

Happy to! Is it my size? Oh, wait, did you mean me?

Yorker, you said earlier your a size 8. Is that literal? Stratton makes up to a size 7-7/8, but they might stretch to an 8.

It depends- naturally, on the brand. my head is around 24 3/4"-25" so it puts me between a 7 7/8ths and an 8 depending on the maker.

How is the felt on the Stratton hats? I saw someone on eBlag who had them in every size and head shape. The color is wrong (grey) but the price is cheap enough to buy to experiment with(~$40).

 

[Story]

Yorker, you said earlier your a size 8. Is that literal? Stratton makes up to a size 7-7/8, but they might stretch to an 8.

Imagine the size of the Drill who wears an 8.

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge stevechasmar!
I like the hat in your avatar, you need to post it over on the hat section.

 

[stevechasmar]

Thank you, RBH. I'll do just that!

 

[Mojave Jack]

It depends- naturally, on the brand. my head is around 24 3/4"-25" so it puts me between a 7 7/8ths and an 8 depending on the maker.

How is the felt on the Stratton hats? I saw someone on eBlag who had them in every size and head shape. The color is wrong (grey) but the price is cheap enough to buy to experiment with(~$40).

They do turn up on the 'bay fairly frequently. I bought a beater Stratton and messed around with it, but found that it had too much moth damage (and was a really bizarre forest green) to keep around. My experience was that it was incredibly stiff, but after I soaked it in denatured alcohol for about 2 days it softened up somewhat. The felt was also very thick. It is not a hat I'd ever think of wearing around here in the summer! The quality is definitely there, though. Bottom line, heavy and stiff, though probably about the way a campaign hat should be!

There are a few threads on Strattons in the Hat forum, one of them being my failed experiment. It was just encouraging enough for me to keep watching for a viable Stratton on the 'bay, though. I plan to try and make a decent M1884 campaign hat, like Prairie Shade's.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Sitting around rather bored this evening, so I thought I'd have a drink. Then I thought I'd have a drink in style. This is the new bush hat, incidentally.

I should have built a fire first.

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Akubra Safari Hat

Hello Chaps,

I have bought a Akubra Safari hat, "Styled like the safari hats of old but with a modern flair" It's my first felt hat and I am really pleased with it

Took three months of waiting for it to arrive but I have brought it along to Indonesia with me to shade me from the sun. Or rain! (Out here working)

It needs to have a bit of a bashing to make it more of an adventures hat and I am working on it. I lost the hat feather on some aircraft flying around here.


I have also just got a chin strap from Perth to sew into it, the hat's the next size up rather than a tight fit (odd head shape). The chin strap would help with the windy weather.

So I have two questions?

1) Have any of you experiance on this style of hat and is it any good?

2) Is the chin starp a good idea or have you had bad examples of one?

Before I sew it in.


Regards
Mr. Godfrey

 

[Badluck Brody]

This is all I got...

Waiting to go and get my haircut.....

...or raid a deadguy's tomb???

BTW: I love that Linen suit............... I will have one!!!

 

[Yorker]

Given the below, what was the original shape of the campaign hat???


http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archiv...91239E733A25757C2A9679C946197D6CF&oref=slogin


[huh] [huh] [huh]

I don't know when the official transition to the Montana peak was? ~1910 the old style was still in use at Canp Perry: