1st Bn Norfolk / Royal Norfolk Regiment Forage Cap
 

An interesting forage cap, it is marked to 1st Bn Norfolk Regiment but has the red band of a "Royal" regiment.

Rather than the cap being manufactured with the red band it's been neatly and firmly applied, stitched on after manufacture.

The tailor's stamp appears to give a location of Jhansi, India, where 1st Bn Norfolk's were stationed in 1933.

The regiment was retitled the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1935 and the cap has been altered to reflect this.

Provenance is to a man who was a WOII, later RSM in the 1930's, commissioned Lieutenant (Quarter-Master) in November 1939.

Buttons are General Service pattern, the cap has been fitted with a slidered badge.

The manufacturer's marks would make an interesting collecting subject in themselves given the spread of the Empire in those days.

I wonder how fierce the competition was to provide outfitting, tailoring, dhobi services, etc, to each new unit as it came onto station.

Nice to see you displaying your headgear again for us Leigh, thanks.

Keith

The markings are quite attractive in a way, part of the appeal being that the wording looks like it's done with a "John Bull" printing set with misspelling and make do symbols, letters in the wrong case.

Yes, I wonder if there was a desperate Scrabble amongst tailor's, charwallahs, dhobiwallahs and the like when units changed?
I suspect that most just continued in employment with the new unit?

Interesting cap Leigh, seeing the markings and the upgrade to royal.

I have a couple of other "upgrades" but they're more modern with the red bands just slipped on to the caps not sewn.

I forgot to mention - thanks to High Wood who provided me with a photo of the original owner of this cap.