Coloured Side Cap: RA or CMP or RAVCP?

[loupie1961]

Hello everybody! I will be extremely grateful for any help you will be able to spare. I have recently purchased a FS Coloured Side Cap. Colours are crimson and an extremely dark blue, possibly black. Everything would point to a Royal Artillery side cap, but the inside sports a service number written in violet ink: 7706911 or 7806911. Seven digits Army service numbers beginning with 77 should be Corps of Military Police, but as long as I know they wore plain drab side caps (if the wore a side cap at all?). Seven digits army numbers beginning with 7806 could be Royal Army Veterinary Corps, but as long as I know their coloured side caps should have had a yellow gold piping to the crown. The figure of "eight" tough reminds rather of a "seven". The ghost outline left by the slider cap badge seems to fit a Royal Artillery cap badge, but the Army Service Number beginning with a 7 should be six digits long, not seven... So what's your advise, gentlemen? Thank you so much in advance!

[leigh kitchen]

I'm reading the number as 7806911 which would be within the block allocated to the RAVC.

If the cap is maroon (rather than red) and blue then I'd go for RAVC despite the lack of yellow piping. or RAMC, if it's red and blue then Royal Artillery.
I think what appears in coloured illustrations of CFSC in books are sometimes officers caps with gold piping shown as yellow, leading to the ORs caps being thought of as having yellow piping when they havnt.
Being private purchase items then it could be that some caps have piping, some not.

A soldier could have transferred between units and kept his original service number, but it looks like a maroon and blue cap to me, with an appropriate RAVC service number.

[sapper533]

CMP FS Caps are very rare and I am sure I have seen a post to say that very few were ever ordered.
Also CMP and RA wore scarlet/red as opposed to what looks like a more maroon colour in your photo,
If it is more crimson than scarlet I would be looking more at RAMC or RAVC, I attach an Image (not mine) of an RAMC badged FS cap.
Good luck
Sean

[JerryBB]

RA or's side cap I own, often hard to catch true colour on red items imo

for the corps, or's cap tended not to be piped, nco and officers were from what I have seen

[loupie1961]

Originally Posted by leigh kitchen

I'm reading the number as 7806911 which would be within the block allocated to the RAVC.

If the cap is maroon (rather than red) and blue then I'd go for RAVC despite the lack of yellow piping. or RAMC, if it's red and blue then Royal Artillery.
I think what appears in coloured illustrations of CFSC in books are sometimes officers caps with gold piping shown as yellow, leading to the ORs caps being thought of as having yellow piping when they havnt.
Being private purchase items then it could be that some caps have piping, some not.

A soldier could have transferred between units and kept his original service number, but it looks like a maroon and blue cap to me, with an appropriate RAVC service number.

You are definitively right! I have added a RAVC cap badge and fits perfectly in the outline left by the previous one. And colour is rightly maroon and not red. Thank you for your help!

[loupie1961]

Originally Posted by JerryBB

RA or's side cap I own, often hard to catch true colour on red items imo

for the corps, or's cap tended not to be piped, nco and officers were from what I have seen

Hello Jerry, definitively not the same red as in mine, that is much more of a crimson/maroon shade, and that would fit to the service number, too.