
Perhaps no other
object has been so widely associated with
Australian identities as the "slouch" or
"digger" hat.
Introduced into Australian military service
in the second half of the 19th century, the
hat was suited
to the local climate and the rigours of
military use. In later years it was hoisted
on mastheads by victorious troops in place
of a flag. More recently it has graced
women's fashions and adorned the heads of
athletes and marching squads.
The slouch hat's mark in history is rooted
in Australia's introduction to modern
warfare at Gallipoli and the reputation
established by the AIF on the Western Front.
From that time the simple felt hat, with its
side turned up, was an emblem of the courage
of the Australian digger, and it became a
national symbol. Although commonly believed
to be uniquely Australian, similar styles of
hat were adopted by many other countries,
including the United States, New Zealand,
India and even Germany.
The khaki hat first became part of an
Australian military uniform in 1885, when it
was chosen for the newly-formed Victorian
Mounted Rifles by the commanding officer,
Colonel Tom Price. Years later, F. D. Price,
his youngest son, a former member of the
unit and a veteran of the Boer War, related
the origin of the hat to his father's
experience in Burma, where native police
wore similar head-dress.
The hat featured a high-domed crown and
narrow brim. The right side of the brim was
turned up and held in position by a cord
attached to a hook which protruded from a
gilt lion's head boss, fastened high on the
side of the crown. It has been suggested
that the right side was looped up to cater
for the rifle drill of the day and to make
it easier for marching troops to perform the
"eyes right" command in parades. The hat
included a two-piece buckled chinstrap and a
prominent three-plait of puggaree. Intended
for insulation, the puggaree was a
traditional Indian head-wrap, adapted by the
British for head-dress worn in hot, sunny
regions.
The colony of New South Wales was next to
adopt a felt hat when it chose this style
for its mounted troops. A photograph of
officers in the NSW Mounted Infantry at
their first encampment (April 1889) shows
them wearing the hat with a white folded
puggaree and a black cock's feather.
In 1890 local military commanders agreed
that all their forces, with the exception of
garrison artillery (who wore helmets),
should adopt a felt hat. New South Wales was
first to act when it introduced a felt hat
to go with the newly introduced
"brown-coloured uniform" adopted for the NSW
Lancers. This was worn with an indented
crown looped-up on the left side and
decorated with bird feathers. The remaining
colonies soon followed suit. Tasmania chose
the Victorian style, while Queensland, South
Australia, and West Australia followed New
South Wales, looping their hats up on the
left side. The slouch hat made its first
appearance overseas on the heads of troops
fighting in the Boer War, and it added much
to the mystique of the Australian bushmen.
Around the time the first Commonwealth
troops arrived in South Africa, the hat
began to be more commonly worn with the left
side turned up.
The Defence Act of 1903 combined the
colonial defence forces into a single
Australian army. The
slouch hat became part of the uniform, worn
turned up on the left side, and an array of
embellishments was introduced. The hat
featured a lower and indented crown. The
turned-up side was held in position by means
of a hook and eye fastener, and badges were
backed with a distinctive cloth rosette in
the corps or regimental colour. A stripe of
the same colour was later added to the new
seven-fold puggaree. The chinstrap, reduced
in width, was adjusted by means of a sliding
buckle.
The most striking addition by some units was
the adornment of the hat with the plumes of
various birds, including black cock, eagle,
swan and ostrich. The best known of these,
however, particularly after the exploits of
the Light Horse in the desert campaigns of
the First World War, was the emu feather. It
is believed that this plumage was first
adopted by the Queensland Mounted Infantry
at the time of the shearers' strike in 1891.
The introduction of compulsory military
training in 1912 brought further changes.
The folded puggaree was replaced with a
series of coloured woolen bands, each
denoting an arm of service. Metal numerals
worn on the front of the hat, half an inch
above the band, indicated the wearer's unit.
Approval could also be obtained to wear
other metal badges on the turned-up side. By
1918 these bands were reduced in width and
the numerals centred on the front.
With the raising of the 1st AIF in 1914
further standardisation occurred. Plain
khaki hat bands were adopted, along with the
Commonwealth Pattern ("rising sun") Badge,
first introduced in 1904. This badge was
worn by all soldiers except those serving
with siege artillery units; as members of
the permanent artillery, they were allowed
to retain their own design.
Some
Queensland Light Horse units embarked for
overseas service wearing emu plumes, as did
the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. When the latter
arrived in Egypt there was such a kerfuffle
over the right to wear the plume that the
Minister of Defence was forced to intervene.
He ruled that all light horse regiments
could wear the emu plume provided that no
cost was charged to the Commonwealth.
Although the white-striped folded puggaree
worn by militia light horse units had been
replaced by the plain khaki band, AIF light
horse units were later allowed to wear the
original; evidence of its use can be seen in
period photographs. Approval was later
rescinded; directions for AIF units to adopt
a plain khaki puggaree soon followed.
While training in Egypt in 1915, the 4th
Australian Infantry Brigade, commanded by
John Monash, won approval to embellish the
left side of their hat bands with their
newly-granted colour patches. These were
later repositioned on the upper tunic
sleeves. In early 1916, having taken command
of the 3rd Australian Division, Monash
secured approval from General Birdwood for
his men to wear the brims of their hats flat
and the badge fixed to the front. In late
1917, for reasons of conformity throughout
the corps, Monash instructed his division to
adopt the same style of wearing the hat as
the rest of the Australian forces.
The reorganisation of the Australian
military forces in 1922 brought further
changes. Coloured hat
bands returned and the use of metal numerals
ceased. Several years later the Light Horse
reverted to the folded khaki puggaree, with
central white stripe, which they had
originally adopted in 1903. The introduction
of the voluntary militia force in 1930 meant
more change. A new series of regimental
badges and colourful puggarees were
introduced; they were to be worn with the
specially-designed uniform intended to
attract recruits.
Following the call for volunteers in 1939,
the "rising sun" badge and plain khaki
coloured band were again chosen as the
uniform of the 2nd AIF. This woolen band was
slowly replaced by a seven-fold puggaree in
khaki cotton. From 1940 both styles of bands
could be adorned on the right side with a
colour patch identifying the wearer's unit.
After the Second World War there were minor
changes to the hat and its continued
suitability was questioned, but the slouch
style was too deeply entrenched to be
replaced. Today, similar felt hats are worn
by the all Australian services, but only the
Australian Army, to which it remains a
symbol of distinction and pride, continues
to wear the khaki felt hat with its side
turned up.
New South Wales
Mounted Rifles c. 1895 |
Queensland Mounted
Infantry c. 1893 |
Australian Commonwealth
Horse c. 1901 |
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The
hat worn by New South Wales Mounted
Rifles c.1896, these slouch hats are
a light khaki fur felt and consisted
of: NSW "Badge of the Colony" hat
badge (Queen Victoria's Crown) on
red cloth background, chin strap,
four-fold black puggaree, and black
cock's plumes.
|
The
slouch hat worn by the Queensland
Mounted Infantry. These short
brimmed slouch hats are a light
khaki fur felt and consisted of a
Queensland "Badge of the Colony" hat
badge (Queen Victoria's Crown) on
red cloth background, chin strap,
four-fold khaki puggaree, and emu
plumes. |
The
slouch hat worn by the Australian
Commonwealth Horse during the Boer
War, these slouch hats were a light
khaki fur felt. a first pattern
"Rising Sun" hat badge, chin strap,
and a four-fold khaki puggaree.
|
First World War
Light Horse |
First World War Infantry |
Current Military Issue |
 |
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slouch
hat worn by Australian Light Horse
(mounted infantry) in the First
World War consisting of:
First/Second World War Hat Badge
(King's Crown), chin strap, wool
puggaree, and emu plume. The Light
Horse continued between the wars as
militia (reserve) units. At the
beginning of the Second World War
Light Horse units were raised as
part of the 2nd AIF but by 1941 all
had been mechanised - the newly
created armoured units dropping
their old titles. Recently the
Australian Army Armoured Corps and
Reserve Armoured units adopted the
emu plume as part of their head
dress. |
The
slouch hat worn by Australian
infantry in the First World War
consisting of: First/ Second World
War Hat Badge (King's Crown), chin
strap and wool puggaree. The slouch
hat did not vary until the latter
years of the Second World War, when
the folded puggaree was adopted.
Australian soldiers of the Second
World War, until the last couple of
years of the war, wore a slouch hat
unvaried from the First World War
model.
|
Today
the slouch hat is the standard head
dress for all Australian Army
soldiers and has also been adopted
by both the Australian Navy and Air
Force. The slouch hat, throughout
its 100 years service, has not
varied greatly and the slouch hat
issued today does not greatly vary
from those worn by Australian
soldiers of the First World War.
These slouch hats have an current
issue Hat Badge (Queen's Crown),
chin strap, and puggaree (folded).
|
©
Author: Peter Aitken
Former curator in the Military Heraldry and
Technology Section, Australian War Memorial.
Descriptions courtesy: Lawrance Ordnance Sydney
www.lawranceordnance
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