Great Britain. An Army Brigadier's Forage Cap, c.1952-1953

This fine quality cap has a 45 mm wide red wool band, with the body of the cap fabricated from a black wool, in the traditional flat top design with raised peak. There are four black metal eyelets, two on either side of the seam at the rear of the cap, on the underside of the overhang for ventilation. The front is adorned with a 36.5 mm (w) x 50 mm (h) Brigadier's Cap Badge, illustrating the lion standing upon the Queen's crown, the badge fabricated from gold-coloured and silvered bullion wire, with violet embroidery in the void of the crown, touches of red embroidery for the two eyes and tongue of the lion, along with touches of red and green embroidery in the base of the crown. The black patent leather visor has a black two-piece patent leather strap resting along the top edge, held in position via brass ERII buttons on both sides, along with a raised 21.5 mm wide leafing on the brim in fine gold-coloured rolled bullion wire, interlaced with strands of rolled beaded bullion wire, giving definition to the leafing. The underside of the visor has a teal green synthetic finish, the visor itself very stiff. The 55 mm wide sweatband is fabricated from cinnamon brown leather, emboss stamped "Real Roam Leather" on the left side, the two ends stitched together at the rear and completed by a light brown ribbon which is finished in a bow-tie. The sidewalls and dome are lined in moss green rayon, with a "HERBERT JOHNSON LONDON" manufacturer's stamp in the dome, the stamp with the designation "BY APPOINTMENT / HATTERS TO THE LATE KING GEORGE VI." above. The visor and strap exhibits very light crazing, the rear with wear along the black wool trim at the opening, fraying in the rolled beaded bullion wire in two locations in the leafing, the headband experiencing separation from the body of the cap where it butts the visor and light wear throughout, with soiling present in the moss green rayon lining, very fine.