Khaki beret issue in WW2

[MaxD]

In the period we are talking about, a Forage cap has a peak, also called a service dress cap.  Side hat is (one of the) familiar term for ShaunJ's cap, field service.  The khaki beret was cap, general service or cap, ridiculous.

MaxD

[Brewins girl]

That's made me chuckle, 'cap ridiculous'. My husband also told me that some soldiers boiled their berets too long, shrinking them too much, when indeed they must have looked even more ridiculous!

[MaxD]

Absolutely right - goes with shaving the "hair" off the inside of battledress trousers and smearing soap along the inside of the crease to make the crease sharper when ironed and "ironing" the bobbles off the surface of "boots ammunition" to make a smooth surface ready to be bulled.  Happy days.

MaxD

[Brewins girl]

To those of you in particular who responded to my question for information about the issue of Khaki berets to REME in WW2 (April 1944 to be precise), I thought you might be interested in some material I found on my recent trip to The National Archives.

In WO/32/14393 there was correspondence about the formation of REME in May 1942 and the designs for its badges and buttons. On the issue of berets, here are some extracts from memoranda.
"...on the possibilities of production of a Beręt for REME. He* tells me that there are three or four million caps F.S. available for issue and therefore it seems that it would be wrong to introduce a Beręt for REME in view of the raw material situation. D.O.S. tells me that the REME Badge will have to be issued in brown plastic material owing to the shortage of metal, so that the question of a white metal badge as opposed to brass does not arise. May a ruling be given please. [Indecipherable name] Chairman REME Cttee".
 "We spoke. I should like your views. The F.S. cap is a great nuisance when working in or under vehicles and I want to give the Corps a good start off."
"I would like to give the Corps a good start off, but in view of the supply situation I do not think that knitted berets can be approved now. As a matter of fact I think that the great majority of the personnel who work under vehicles prefer to do so with out any headgear on at all, and of course in workshops they do not wear headgear." It was agreed that the matter be reviewed in 6months time (ie November 1942).

I still haven't been able to find out who 'Angus MacPherson' was (my uncle wrote that he thought he would "...look like Angus MacPherson" in his new khaki beret, and I need to return to TNA to see if there is anything more about the issue of khaki berets.

I also found at TNA that when it was decided to replace ARP (Air Raid Precautions) badges with CD (Civil Defence) ones, changing the colour of the lettering from red to yellow, there was dismay at the Ministry of Supply, Raw Materials Department as that decision would entail using chrome compounds - these were not only in short supply, but were also needed for khaki dyeing, service footwear and chrome metal manufacture. The correspondence about that issue was fascinating!


[* "He" was D.O.S. - not sure if this was a person's intials, or abbreviations for a role.] 

[MaxD]

Good stuff and illustrates how unstraightfoward (is that a word?) things can be, two sentence answers don't always cut it!

DOS was Director of Ordnance Services.

MaxD

[Brewins girl]

Now why am I not surprised that you'd respond with the info about DOS? Thank you as always

[MaxD]

I'm thinking of employing you as a researcher at Kew 

MaxD

[Brewins girl]

Be careful what you wish for! It's only distance from home (Shropshire) and the cost of travel and accommodation that stops me from spending more time there! I was able to combine my last visit with my husband's attendance at a conference so it helped offset accommodation and I knew he was gainfully employed. I've always come away with fascinating and useful material and am getting better at pre-ordering and knowing what I'm looking for, although equally I have found material I didn't know I needed/wanted!

[ainslie]

Angus MacP was probably a generic term for a Scot.  Many Scots soldiers wore the tam o’shanter or other variations, but much larger than a beret.
A