RNAF Overseas Cap

[Custermen]

I saw this cap some years ago and decided to add it to my collection.  I have a small collection that includes 10 or 12 overseas caps.  During the COVID quarantine, I found a FaceBook group that would evaluate British cap badges to determine if they were real or fake(re-strikes) and the date of manufacture.  After I asked them several of my collection of 120 cap badges, I decided to ask about this cap cap.  I wasn't sure if it was an enlisted man or officer's cap.  

 

The chaps replied that it was real.  Then one guy posted that he agreed but those were not RAF buttons.

 

  This is my hat rack that I designed that allows me hang caps on the back of my closet door.  It is made of coat hangers that interlock.

  The cap that is the subject of this post is the RNAF cap on top.

 

Close-up photos.

 

 

 

I ran to Wikitpedia to read how the Dutch pilots were incorporated into the RAF.  For a period of time, they were issued RAF uniforms with their own insignia and buttons, etc.  As I recall this was limited to two squadrons.  

 

I tried to recall where I bought this cap.  I'm sure I purchased it locally.  Then I read this statement in Wikipedia.  

Quote from wikipedia:

 “ In 1941, the Royal Netherlands Military Flying-School was re-established, in the
United States at Jackson Field (also known as Hawkins Field), Jackson, Mississippi,
operating lend-lease aircraft and training all military aircrew for the Netherlands.”

 

 

The base at Jackson, Mississippi, is only a few hours' drive from my home.  I wonder if this cap was left here and has been in the US since 1941.  My brother's father-in-law was a mechanic at that base, so there is some close connection with these Dutch pilots.    

[numbersix]

This is very interesting, especially with the local connection. Is it a Dutch side cap with RAF badge added or an RAF side cap with Dutch buttons added?

[Allan H.]

This is indeed a very interesting side cap indeed! The cap appears to be British made and obviously, the insignia is for an officer in the RAF. The buttons on the front are also quite interesting, though I would have assumed that if the buttons were Dutch, then the officer's device would be Dutch as well? There were many countries whose armies in exile were fitted and equipped with British uniforms. The Free French, the Poles, the Czechs, the Dutch, etc. were all outfitted by the British, flying British aircraft. 

 

I can think of no reason why anyone would ever want to fake a cap by adding another country's buttons to the front. I can only assume that it is an original cap. I would call this an RAF cap. If it were RNZAF, it would have RNZAF buttons on the front.

 

Allan

[numbersix]

I agree, and to clarify, in case my previous post implies I doubt it's authenticity: I was not questioning the caps veracity. I am not particularly familiar with pre World War 2 Dutch uniforms and was wondering whether the pilot had kept his original side cap and added the RAF insignia or it was an RAF issue side cap where the pilot had added Dutch Crown buttons, which would make sense as, though they were fighting as part of British forces, they were still subjects of their home nation's Monarch. It's details like this that really bring home how multinational the Allied effort was during the War.

[Custermen]

22 hours ago, numbersix said:

I agree, and to clarify, in case my previous post implies I doubt it's authenticity: I was not questioning the caps veracity.

I understand.  I didn't reply because I was Blocked.  I guess I'm on probation because I'm a Newbie and I exceeded the 3 post limit.  

 

Previously, I had pulled up some photos of the Dutch pilots.  It seemed they wore their own uniforms and then also wore RAF uniforms but I don't know which came first.  I assume that as more Dutch citizens arrived, the British had to find new uniforms for them.  

Also, I see what you mean by the badge.  I found the a photo of their Eagle & crown badge that is very similar to the British but with a different Crown.  Maybe some new "recruit" was issued a uniform and his tailor was able to get his hands on the Dutch buttons but could not obtain the Eagle & Crown.  

 

I appreciate any comments on this.  

 

Also Note in my first photo, I have New Zealand side cap.  I had two: one was OD color where as this one is the Grey/Blue color.  The buttons look like British buttons.  

[Custermen]

BTW, there is another post about a RNAF cap and badge.  Compare my Eagle/Crown badge to his.

 

Link:   RNAF Cap

[numbersix]

It may have been a common practice for foreign pilots serving with the RAF to add a small touch of home, I think the RAF dress regulations would have been quite strict regards what insignia could be worn, hence the King's Crown and Eagle as the main badge. But the buttons are so small and very similar to RAF ones that unless held to close inspection would not be picked up on so it would make sense for those to be the touch of home. I believe there were some cases of Polish or Czech pilots flying for the RAF during the Battle of Britain who, on being shot down and bailing out, had an awkward time of it convincing the local British citizenry that they were not German when they landed.

 

I like your Royal Artillery side cap too.

[Custermen]

I bought a British tunic that someone had attached a replica 2nd Polish Corps patch on the upper sleeve and British rank stripes below it.  The claimed the Poles had to revert to using British rank patches and insignia.  I expected this to be fake but I wanted a Brit coat so I bought it.  I added a real POLAND arch patch and a 2nd Army Corp pin under the pocket---which I also was sure was fake, as finding a real one would cost big buck$.  I searched to see if I could find any photos of Polish troops wearing British stripes. They either had no rank displayed or they had the Polish collar rank. 

 I gave up.  I took my Polish patch off and sold the tunic.  

 

I wasn't sure if the Royal Artillery hat was correct but it seems to accurate in every way. 

My next post will be a Sterling Silver Scottish officer's badge that I found in a local antique shop.

 

[Scarecrow]

Custermen, nice cap.  In hopes to make things a bit clearer, pilots from Commonwealth Nations (Canada, New Zealand etc.) and pilots from Air Forces in Exile (Poland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, etc.) were allowed and permitted to wear the insignia of their country, on RAF uniforms, while serving in the RAF.  For example Canadians wore RCAF wings (officially a Brevet) and New Zealand pilots wore RNAF wings along with and quite often buttons. In fact the Poles maintained their own command structure, under the overall command of RAF Fighter and Bomber Commands.  But officially they were the Polish Air Force in Exile (PAF) not RAF.  The attached photos show the wearing of other nations insignia on their RAF caps and tunics.  The first shows Polish AF buttons on the side cap, just the same as the Norwegian buttons on your cap.  The other two are two different ways of wearing their insignia, the first, this pilot is wearing his Polish pilot wings and the second has chosen to wear an RAF wing with a set of miniature Polish wings on his lapel.  Hope this helps.

[Custermen]

16 minutes ago, Scarecrow said:

The first shows Polish AF buttons on the side cap, just the same as the Norwegian buttons on your cap.  The other two are two different ways of wearing their insignia, the first, this pilot is wearing his Polish pilot wings and the second has chosen to wear an RAF wing with a set of miniature Polish wings on his lapel.  Hope this helps.

Yes.  I have studied the Polish Army uniforms but these Air Force uniforms are great.  I had this idea that they were allowed to wear Polish insignia but where would they have gotten the patches, pins and ribbons etc.??  Those Polish buttons are cool.  As mentioned previously, what did they use as a substitute if they lost it or ran out?   I know the officers would manage to make a good looking uniform.  It seems the average private just went without.  

 

 I have two reference books which has some photos but little on uniforms. 

"Poles in the Italian Campaign 1943-1945" by Olgierd Teriecki

"No Greater Ally" by Kenneth K. Koskodan 

[Scarecrow]

Yes, they were allowed to wear their ribbons.  In fact the first tunic shown, the ribbon racks are a mixture of Polish and British award ribbons.  The second tunic only shows British awards but if you look closely at the photo you will see stitching thread remnants above the shown ribbon rack.  I would bet that that row of missing ribbons were his Polish awards.  Why they were taken off is a mystery.  If they ran out or lost pilot wings or buttons, JR Gaunt of the UK was manufacturing and selling Polish insignia during the war and I'm sure there were others. As for patches the RAF did not use shoulder squadron patches (SSI) but did use shoulder "Nationality" titles, showing the wearer's country of origin.  As far as pins, the Poles used some pretty unique squadron pins. I have two Polish tunics that have these unit pins.  The attached photos show these unit pins the first is for 301 (Bomber) Squadron and the other 309 (Fighter) Squadron.  The third photo is of a Polish Sgt. Pilot's tunic, showing how the badges were worn, centered on the pleat of the left hand chest pocket.  I hope I have not hijacked your thread, with all this information, that was not my intention.