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The slouch cap is a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap, usually made of wool or animal felt, and is associated with military and police uniforms. It has been worn by soldiers in various countries for centuries, but is most strongly associated with the Australian Army. The hat was originally raised to accommodate a rifle or spear, and is still an important part of parade and battle dress. It has also been worn by US military personnel, Indian State Police officers, and Irish Volunteers.
A slouch cap is a distinctive hat with a wide brim and chin strap that is usually made from wool or other animal felt. It is usually part of a military or police uniform and the brim can be worn folded down on one or both sides of the hat. The rim may have originally been raised to accommodate a rifle and bayonet held over a soldier’s shoulder or a spear carried in a stirrup cup.
Variations of the slouch cap have been worn by soldiers for several centuries, including those in Britain, New Zealand, France, the United States, and Germany. The style is most strongly associated with the Australian Army.
Although the slouch cap has become one of Australia’s national symbols popularized by soldiers or diggers in World War II, a version of the hat was worn by King Charles I’s army much earlier during England’s civil war in the 17th century. Armies sometimes chose to adopt this cap for practical reasons, such as when British soldiers fighting in the Second Boer War donned the hat because cork helmets were not available.
The slouch cap is believed to have first been adopted by the Australian Army in the late 19th century and it remains an important part of parade and battle dress. The Australian Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Armored Corps and Royal Australian Navy are known to wear these types of caps decorated with insignia, colored ribbons and/or feathers specific to their branches.
The United States military and its soldiers have also officially and unofficially adopted the slouchy cap on a number of occasions. In 1972, United States Army drill sergeants and United States Air Force drill instructors were allowed to wear this style of cap. This style of hat was worn without authorization by some soldiers who fought in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. During the Vietnam War, many US troops discarded the standard emission field cap in favor of a locally made clearance cap because it provided better sun protection.
In addition to official military personnel, the slouch hat has also been worn by Indian State Police officers and Irish Volunteers. In India, the slouch cap displays the particular colors of the police unit and the number of the individual police officer on its upturned brim. In Ireland, the slouch cap became the subject of an Irish Republican song called “The Broad Black Brimmer” about a man who dies fighting in the Irish Republican Army and leaves his child behind.
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