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#1
14-01-12, 03:03 AM
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1918 1st pattern RAF hats
Can anyone help me answer a few questions on 1st pattern RAF caps, the ones with rank tabs on their bands?
I once saw in a fairly common book a poster (or was it a tea towel?) made in the spring of 1918 showing the new uniforms, with visual details of rank tabs and their identification. Does anyone remember that graphic, or have another reference that lays out the different tabs and their ranks? Second, has anyone seen cloth tabs sewn to the bands instead of the usual brass tabs? Lastly, apart from the usual khaki RAF cap, has anyone seen or can show images of a pale blue or a tropic tan cap worn in 1918? Thanks! 
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#2
14-01-12, 03:58 AM
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The brass tabs worn on the Officers cap applied to those of junior Officer only (Captain, Ist Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant). This was to differentiate them from 1st Cl Warrant Officers who, at that time, wore an Officers Cap badge. At that time a 1st Cl Warrant Officer wore Arm Eagles and Crown above the elbow, whilst a 2nd Lieutenant wore them on the cuff. The 1st Lieutenant and the Captain wore the eagle and crown together with rank lace.
On reaching Major, up to Colonel, the bars were removed and the Officer wore a single row of "scrambled egg" on a black leather peak - denoting a "Field Officer" (today worn by Group Captain only). General Ranks then wore a different cap badge and a double row of "scrambled egg", as worn today. Therefore the cap bars were short lived as the all metal combined War economy cap badge for Officers was designated as the badge for Warrant Officer only and continues to today. In all the photos I have seen I have never seen a cloth version of this bar. As far as I am aware, the blue version of the hat did not carry this bar ranking as it's use had ceased by the time blue was introduced. Attached is a picture from "Boys Own" magazine of 1918 Last edited by dragon166; 14-01-12 at 01:16 PM.
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#3
14-01-12, 04:13 AM
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Many thanks.
One bar either side for 2nd Lt.? Two either side and then three for Capt.? Lastly, anyone have or know of photos for the pale blue and a tropical version? With or without rank bars?
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#7
14-01-12, 08:05 PM
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Thanks, Dragon. That's the image!
Isn't it odd that Lt and 2nd Lt have the same bars? I have in mind a mint khaki cap on a UK site that shows one asymmetric bar. Is there an official source to which you can refer me to back up Boy's Own for these arrangements of bars?    Someone suggested to me that although Boy's Own source was probably specifications first issued in April 1918, "those specifications did change almost by the week in the early days and were never fully implemented from what I understand." For example has anybody ever seen a photo of a captain wearing the 4 bars on the cap band? Or a WO first class wearing just the bird and crown on the sleeve? The hat is named to a flight surgeon (ex-RNVR) which may mean something else entirely! Last edited by Aerowallah; 14-01-12 at 08:13 PM.
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#8
15-01-12, 01:45 AM
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Sorry Royston, the issue number of the Boys Own is not shown on the chart I posted.
Aerowallah: It isn't strange for the two junior officer ranks to wear the same, as they are both grouped as "subalterns" in the British Army. Whilst some of the badges shown on the Boys Own chart are a little spurious (mainly the shape of the individual badges shown at the bottom), it is in the main conforming to the official documentation. Air Force Memorandum 2 (AFM2) laid down the original patterns of rank badging for Officers and the use of the cap metal tabs in the numbers as quoted earlier. Photos of the use of two each side by Captains do exist. The bars were abolished on blue uniforms, together with the Officers Arm eagles/crowns by Air Ministry Weekly Orders (AMWO 617/18). Their use on Khaki uniforms by AMWO 1318/18. So, it would seem that they were worn on both blue and Khaki caps. In 1985 Andrew Cormack, of the RAF Museum, published some articles, in Military Modelling, which had a picture of an RAF WO1 wearing the upper arm eagle/crown as well as a drawing taken from a picture of a Captain, in khaki, wearing the double bars. The use of an assymetric bar, as shown in your cap pics, would seem to be spurious. Last edited by dragon166; 15-01-12 at 01:50 AM.
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#10
17-01-12, 04:48 AM
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Hmmmm...I think I can top that. A photo with ONE bar. I want to scan the image myself and will have it in hand Thursday. Sorry for the dramatic pause...
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#11
17-01-12, 11:02 AM
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Quote:
strange looking cap,not like any of the 1st raf caps that i have seen,has it got a cover on. Bob
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#12
17-01-12, 01:47 PM
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Owner says no, but it looks to me, too, like a tropic cover, not the green khaki.
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#13
18-01-12, 02:55 PM
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Now have three photos of single bar (on side of chest wing) in wear and, it looks like, all to 2nd lieutenants. Will take a couple weeks to have them all in hand so I can post clearest possible pictures. Rgds
Last edited by Aerowallah; 01-02-12 at 01:30 AM.
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#14
01-02-12, 01:47 AM
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#15
01-02-12, 01:51 AM
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Here are three photo of single-bar caps (i.e. asymmetric) all on the right / wing side), and they look like 2nd lieutenants to me!
From British and American Aces of World War I, by Norman Franks, p. 95.   
Last edited by Aerowallah; 02-02-12 at 08:52 PM.
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