Field Service Caps

The field service cap was introduced in the 1880s, shaped like the lower of these two illustrations by Doug Hagger. Both these caps are based on drawings made by L E Buckell from' actual items. The lower, older cap, has dark blue sides that could be turned down, and the red top, when worn, unfolded to reveal the blue inside. Buckell described it as being for other ranks and sketched it in 1893. The top illustration is an officer's cap with gold edging, from his sketch made in 1908 and has the King's crown regimental badge. In both cases the top is crimson and the fold-down sides are blue. Below these illustrations is a photo of an other ranks' cap c1910, which has no yellow edging but confirms the colour of the cap used by the 20th Hussars. Old photos do not give us a clue as to the colour of the folding caps. The 1891 Dress Regulations for officers say that the caps for hussars should be blue except for the 11th (crimson) and the 15th (scarlet). The 1900 regulations however, call for scarlet for all hussar regiments except the 11th (crimson). Not all regiments followed these instructions as the 13th had white tops and blue sides, and the 19th and 21st regiments had blue sides with tops in their facing colours.

Other ranks' field service cap of the 20th Hussars c1910. Details of the badge and buttons are in the Badges section.

Regimental Details | Uniforms