RTR Beret
 

Good day

I'm seeking advice on the date of this beret. Clearly the cap badge is King's Crown and has two rear posts E & W so I'm making the assumption that it is an original badge and is contemporary with the age of the beret but that only tells me that it is likely to be pre 1952. As you can see the badge has been there for a long time. Beret stored in a damp garage :(

Leather band, one pair of eyelets with a leather patch behind.

Many thanks

James

Is there a stitched vertical rectangle of cloth or leather inside the beret to mark the position that a badge should be placed in and which would provide a pocket for a badge slider?

Hi Leigh

No, nothing like that.

James

The somewhat wider that usual sweatband, plus absence of handsewn thread around the inside shows that it is likely made by Beret Industries Ltd. They made black berets in 1944 but also during various years after the war without changing the design details so it is not possible to put a precise date on it.

You folks are fantastic. Many thanks. Not my area of knowledge as you have gathered or collecting interest so now off to the for sale table.

here's mine, my original, issued 1945............and it still has it's 'T & Aing' thread inside. (I was a Gun Fitter)