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DPM combat cap


Eaglehurst

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Not particularly rare or unsual apart from the size. I have never come across one big enough to comfortably fit me until now!

 

Not sure of date but presence of metric sizing and makers name would seem to indicate mid/late 1980's perhaps?

 

 

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Edited by Eaglehurst
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The venerable crap hat was introduced during 1972, although trialed from roughly 1970 onwards......made from size 6 (48) through to 7 & 7/8ths (massive)..........I have over 20 of these, including a pin-head size 6.....and I would agree that the larger sizes are a rare find nowadays.......I think the largest I have is a 7 & 1/4........but it is fair to say that sizes do vary amongst manufacturers......I have a size 7 that is bloody large but when compared to an identical 7 by a different manufacturer the other is considerably smaller...and both are NOS..!?!!

 

A stall at Beltring this year had a box full of NOS size 6 & 7/8ths for only £2 each.......I bought a few for the colour & manufacturer variations, including a couple with the adhesive stores labels still attached...

 

Up to around 1978, the crap hat had brown-colour shirting flannel lining to the earflaps.....subsequently changed to green thereafter.....later issues can be found in the newer DPM semi-synthetic materials and colours.....

 

Around 1992, the crap hat was revised in manufacture.....the poplin lining plus the shirting flannel lining to the flaps was deleted, the entire cap now being manufactured throughout in DPM (1992 type) material.....sizing was now metric and a label sewn-in replacing the ink-stamping of earlier issues.......

 

The crap hat fell out of use when CS 95 was introduced, although remains on limited issue to recruits for field training, etc.......not bad for a 40-year old design....:)

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Bearing in mind it is a direct copy of the Norwegian one I have posted photos of in another thread, the design is considerably older than 40 years !! Thanks to the Norwegians !

 

Because they were issued to recruits, there was a real stigma to wearing one once basic had been passed. Although to be honest I always preferred wearing it to a beret.

 

Dave

 

I meant the British DPM variety when mentioning 40 years old Dave ! I agree with your sentiments entirely......in my unit we weren't ever allowed to wear 'em, although a few field exercises miles from authority soon put paid to that. I found the crap hat good at keeping dust and sun out of the eyes, but it could be a tad uncomfortable for lengthy periods as the inner-flap edges at the front would dig-in to the forehead.......so you always wore a bigger size than necessary to relieve the pressure.....

 

Seems that when initially issued the cap was popular in the field judging from period photos, but usage dwindled by the late-1970's.........

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  • 10 years later...

Revisiting the subject of the DPM cap... had a stroke of luck today at the Chatham militaria fair and picked up this excellent condition example for a mere fiver. Better still it’s an extra large 7 7/8 size and an early one with the brown lining and an early style DPM print. It just needs a very gentle wash and little reshaping.

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I got my First Cap issued in 1974 as a young 17.1/2 Recruit at Arborfield! 😁

We were only allowed to wear them on the final field exercise.

& at unit level, very few People wore them at all. Except acting as 'Enemy' to distinguish them from Friendly Forces!  The cap is still on issue today, but in the Current MTP Camo Material. 

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I was at Arborfield then, intake 73A we were originally issued with 48 pattern battledress trousers and used 38 pattern webbing.

I'm front left in the photo which was taken outside the 3 storey block, or JEEPland, opposite those 13 bunkers that I had to run over god knows how many times.

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