United Kingdom. A Royal Corps of Signals Brigadier's Forage Cap, c.1940

This fine quality cap has a 42 mm wide red wool band, with the body of the cap fabricated from a black wool, in the traditional flat top design with raised peak. There are four black metal eyelets, two on either side of the seam at the rear of the cap, on the underside of the overhang for ventilation. The front is adorned with a 25.5 mm (w) x 41.5 mm (h) Brigadier's Cap Badge, illustrating the lion standing upon the King's crown, the badge fabricated from gold-coloured and silvered bullion wire, with maroon felt in the void of the crown, touches of red embroidery for the two eyes and tongue of the lion, along with touches of red and green embroidery in the base of the crown, all on a 32 mm (w) x 48.4 mm (h) black wool base. The black patent leather visor has a black two-piece patent leather strap resting along the top edge, held in position via brass Royal Corps of Signals buttons on both sides, along with a raised 21.5 mm wide leafing on the brim in fine gold-coloured rolled bullion wire, interlaced with strands of rolled beaded bullion wire, giving definition to the leafing. The underside of the visor has a forest green synthetic finish, the visor itself very stiff. The 50 mm wide sweatband is fabricated from cinnamon brown leather, with a 30 mm wide mesh band of cinnamon brown rayon sewn in place along its edge. The dome is lined in cream-coloured synthetic fabric, with a manufacturer's stamp in gold-coloured ink inscribed "HAWKES & CO. LTD / 1, SAVILE ROW. W. / LATE / 14, PICCADILLY" in the dome, under a celluloid shield. The visor and strap exhibits very light crazing, the red wool band with scattered mothing, light soiling and wear present in the black wool on the flat top, with soiling present in the forest green synthetic finish on the underside of the visor and the cinnamon leather sweatband, extensive cracking and loss in the celluloid shield in the dome. Fine.