Ever so slightly post Great War Sailor's Cap.

[High Wood]

My latest find in its original hat tin. The tin does not conform to the earlier pattern that had a small brass nameplate fixed to the top of the lid. This one has to make do with the owner's name, C.C. Parker, scratched into the lid. Luckily, there is some accompanying paper work which shows that the original owner was SS/191854 Stoker Clarence Colvin Parker.

The cap itself has been heavily blancoed and has had the cap tally removed. The last cap tally worn by Stoker Parker would have been H.M.S. Wallflower and I would imagine that an original tally will be hard to find.

[High Wood]

Looking at his service record, Clarence Colvin Parker enlisted in June 1918, so if this cap is one of the two that he was originally issued, it may well be a Great War issued cap. He was invalided from the Royal Navy in October 1920.

[Nozzer]

If you look very closely at the bottom of the tin it should be dated. Nice find.

[High Wood]

Originally Posted by Nozzer

If you look very closely at the bottom of the tin it should be dated. Nice find.

I cannot find anything on the bottom of the tin. Would the date have been impressed or stencilled?

That said, I have owned several of the naval hat tins over the years and have never seen a date on any of them.

The paper wrapper inside the tin however states 6 7/8 which i presume is the hat size.

[Nozzer]

The date can be incredibly difficult to spot. They are impressed with the maker and the date in the middle. I only have two tins left. One is dated 1916 and the other 1939. I will see if I can get a clear picture.

[Nozzer]

Ok, best I can do. Very difficult to make out the date, but it is 1916. You might just be able to make some of it out?

[wardog]

I have cap to HMS Dominion which is blue- I had assumed that white covers were separate but was it a case of issue of one white, one blue? How can one tell if such a cap is issue or private purchase? Regards, Paul.

[High Wood]

Originally Posted by wardog

I have a blue cap to HMS Dominion which is blue- I had assumed that white covers were separate but was it a case of issue of one white, one blue? How can one tell if such a cap is issue or private purchase? Regards, Paul.

I think, but would need to get some books out to confirm, that several, at least two caps were issued, presumably one blue and one white. There may have been a removable white cover for the blue cap. The tin is certainly capable of holding two caps.