Original WWII Australian Slouch Hat Worn by Prisoner of War on Burma Railway with Provenance Tag

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an well-worn example of the World War Two Australian Army issue slouch hat. This example came to us with a provenance tag stating that the hat was worn by a Prisoner on the Burma railway, having been given to Ken Dolson, RAF, who was training as a pilot at the end of WWII and ended up driving a fire engine in Japan.

A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It is a survivor of the felt hats worn by certain 18th century armies. Since then, the slouch hat has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Britain, India, New Zealand, Southern Rhodesia, France, the United States, the Confederate States, Germany and many others. Australia has had a slouch as standard issue headwear since the late Victorian Era. The distinctive Australian slouch hat, sometimes called an "Australian bush hat" or "digger hat", has one side of the brim turned up or pinned to the side of the hat with a Rising Sun Badge in order to allow a rifle to be slung over the shoulder.

The slouch hat is missing the majority of its chinstrap and has some field repairs including a large restitching of a piece at the peak. The hat band shows some staining. The side of the brim with the snap is missing part of the snap. The sweatband is all retained but doesn’t have a size marking, but it is roughly size 7.

The provenance tag reads:

SLOUCH HAT WORN
BY A PRISONER ON
THE BURMA RAILWAY.
GIVEN TO KEN DOLSON
RAF WHO WAS TRAINING AS
A PILOT AT THE END OF WW2 PTO
AND ENDED UP DRIVING
A FIRE ENGINE IN JAPAN

This is a fascinating piece with interesting provenance, ready for further research and display!

The slouch hat was first worn by military forces in Australia in 1885 when the newly created Victorian Mounted Rifles adopted the hat as part of their uniform after their commanding officer, Thomas Price, had seen them worn by police in Burma. On 22 December 1890, the military commanders of the then separate Australian Colonies prior to the Federation of Australia met to discuss the introduction of the khaki uniform throughout Australia. They agreed that all Australian Forces with the exception of the Artillery would wear the slouch hat. It was to be looped up on one side—Victoria and Tasmania on the right and the other colonies (later states) on the left. This was done so that rifles could be held at the slope without damaging the brim. After Federation, the slouch hat became standard Australian Army headgear in 1903 and since then it has developed into an important national symbol.

The slouch hat (also known as a Hat KFF, or Hat Khaki Fur Felt) is worn as the standard ceremonial headdress for all members of the Army, except those belonging to units or corps that have an official headdress such as a beret, and is treated with the utmost care and respect. It is also worn in some units as a general duty dress. When worn for ceremonial purposes, the "Grade 1" Slouch hat is worn with a seven-band puggaree, six of which represent the states of Australia while the seventh represents its territories of Australia. A Unit Colour Patch is worn on the right of puggaree, while a Corps or Regiment Hat badge is placed to its front and the General Service Badge (The Rising Sun) worn on the left brim which is folded up and clipped into place. When worn for general duties, the "Grade 2" Slouch hat is worn with the left brim down and the Rising Sun badge removed.