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  #1  
Old 27-11-12, 10:32 PM
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Eddie Parks Eddie Parks is offline
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Default Mystery Kalpak

Hi Guys
I've just acquired a mint condition Kalpak. Black curly lamp skin with a black top and flap/bag.
I know the Palestine police had black Kalpaks with a blue or grey bag and that the TJFF had a red bag, but this bag/top is definitely black. There's no badge or button either.
So who wore it?
Eddie
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  #2  
Old 28-11-12, 06:09 PM
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For others like me who had to Google this.
Calpack, Calpac, Kalpac, Kalpak, or Qalpaq (from Turkish: kalpak [kaɫˈpak];[1] Kazakh: қалпақ, Bulgarian and Serbian: калпак, Kyrgyz: калпак, both [qɑlpɑ́q]) is a high-crowned cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Iran, and throughout Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The word "kalpak" is also a component of the ethnonym of a Turkic group of uncertain relatedness: the "Karakalpak" (literally "black kalpak" in Karakalpak
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  #3  
Old 28-11-12, 06:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lampwick View Post
For others like me who had to Google this.
Calpack, Calpac, Kalpac, Kalpak, or Qalpaq (from Turkish: kalpak [kaɫˈpak];[1] Kazakh: қалпақ, Bulgarian and Serbian: калпак, Kyrgyz: калпак, both [qɑlpɑ́q]) is a high-crowned cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Iran, and throughout Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The word "kalpak" is also a component of the ethnonym of a Turkic group of uncertain relatedness: the "Karakalpak" (literally "black kalpak" in Karakalpak
Thanks Terry
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Old 29-11-12, 09:10 AM
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Possibly slightly more explanatory and maybe even easier to understand... http://www.google.com/search?q=milit...w=1280&bih=699
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  #5  
Old 29-11-12, 11:16 AM
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Among the varied headdress worn by the Iraq Levies is the black Kalpak. In the book "Imperial Sunset" [James Lunt (Maj Gen) 1981] is a b&w photograph of "British and local officers" wearing this headdress in 1922, with the crossed Kurdish style knives to the fore. The colour of the top is hard to make out.
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  #6  
Old 29-11-12, 03:29 PM
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Eddie Parks Eddie Parks is offline
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OK, here are the picture. Colour is deceptive. The cloth element is definitely black.

1. General view. No trace of a badge ever having been fitted. The bag is on the wearer's left.

2. Top view, black cloth with a sewn in cross.

3. Tip of the "bag" which is non functional and lined with stiff material, There is a hole for a button to be sewn in but no sign it has ever been fitted.

4. Inside markings, can't read the maker but 1947 date is clear.

Any comments??

PS - I've looked at the photo in Imperial Sunset, the cloth is paler than black or blue, it's probably red.
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Last edited by Eddie Parks; 29-11-12 at 03:34 PM.
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  #7  
Old 29-11-12, 05:41 PM
Charlie585 Charlie585 is offline
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Nice to see some images at last Eddie and a nice looking item it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddie Parks View Post
So who wore it?
Given the lack of insignia and the seemingly universal use of this form of headdress over such a wide geographical area it remains a mystery but one I hope you will get to the bottom of eventually.

(I don't suppose that Graham Stewart has an ACI for this one)??

Regards

Ry
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  #8  
Old 30-11-12, 10:45 AM
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The British Kalpak wearing units I am aware of are:

Iraq Levies - black kalpak, red(?) bag, bag on the left.
Palestine Gendamerie - black/red/left.
Transjordan Frontier Force - black/red/right.
Arab Legion - black/?/left - only ever seen this worn by King Abdullah, and, yes, I know they're not British.
Palestine Police - black/blue/left and black/grey/left
Palestine Police Auxiliaries - Gaffirs - grey/grey/left

Any other suggestions?
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  #9  
Old 30-11-12, 07:23 PM
Quicksilver Quicksilver is offline
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Hi Eddie,
While I dont pretend to be an expert on this subject, I did consult Echo of the Bugle by Marcel Roubicek. He states Arab and Jewish Palestine Police wore a black sheepskin busby with a black bag and the cap badge. Also in the book reference is made to the Circassian Palace Guard who wore a black "busby". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwkYxLvlL38
Quicksilver

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddie Parks View Post
The British Kalpak wearing units I am aware of are:

Iraq Levies - black kalpak, red(?) bag, bag on the left.
Palestine Gendamerie - black/red/left.
Transjordan Frontier Force - black/red/right.
Arab Legion - black/?/left - only ever seen this worn by King Abdullah, and, yes, I know they're not British.
Palestine Police - black/blue/left and black/grey/left
Palestine Police Auxiliaries - Gaffirs - grey/grey/left

Any other suggestions?
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  #10  
Old 01-12-12, 10:01 AM
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Thanks Cliff, I do have that book - somewhere! That's a pace forward at any rate.
Eddie
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  #11  
Old 04-12-12, 11:34 AM
michael1 michael1 is offline
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Default mystery kalpack

I'm sure this is Palestine Police, possibly an auxiliary, there is an Israeli site on the internet that deals with Palestine & Israel badges which shows a very similar kalpack
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  #12  
Old 23-01-22, 11:44 AM
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Hi Eddie

Not sure if this is the same as yours, but this link shows Colonel Shaw, Chief of Police in Cyrenaica, wearing something similar:

https://www.shutterstock.com/editori...libya-4780969a

All the best

Graham
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