Slouch Hat 2; more details about our famous hat

The world famous Australian Slouch Hat . . .page 2

Current model slouch hat as worn by Air Force Cadets

RAAF slouch with post 1953 QC badge and old style puggaree. (CH Collection)

Standard RAAF blue slouch hat.
Note the blue puggaree.
Never worn with the side turned up. Always worn flat brim, as shown.
Made from the fur of white rabbits as the normal brown rabbit fur is too dark to accept the dye.

Although RAN and RAAF wear the slouch hat in some circumstances only Army wear it with the turned up leaf. Many police Services also wear a flat brim slouch hat with an "army" bash.

by Rick Grebert. Members of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) wore the Australian Army khaki slouch hat throughout World War 1. Approval for the formation of the AFC was granted in 1912 (Military Order 570). Members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which was formed in 1921, wore khaki slouch hats during World War 2. It was worn with the brim turned down, except when on guard duty or when carrying a rifle. It had a five fold khaki puggaree, with a light blue centre fold (see top of page). Later, a plain five fold, khaki puggaree was worn. The metal RAAF hat badge was worn on the front of the puggaree.

WW2 RAAF men wearing slouch hats

On overseas service, sometimes the RAAF colour patch (see left) was worn on the left side of the puggaree. They again adopted the slouch hats in 1994, for Occupational Health and Safety reasons.

The present RAAF slouch hats are Air Force blue in colour and are worn with a seven pleated navy blue puggaree. see above.

The current RAAF slouch hats are different from the Army hat, in that they do not have a 'hook and eye' to loop the brim up on the side, because they always wear the slouch hat with the brim down. The hat also has an easy method of attaching the ends of the chin strap to the inside of the hat.

It also has an additional adjustable buckle under the sweat band to facilitate the exact positioning of the visible buckle adjacent to the left side of the Mouth. The RAAF chin strap is not worn at all times - thus the improved method of attaching it to the inside of tile slouch hat.

This new and improved chin strap is expected to be issued to the Army and Navy in the early 2000s.

1943. Officer's RAAF Slouch Hat. This hat was signed and presented to a USAAF (United States Army Air Force) Colonel during or just after WW2. Note that whoever took the photo has put the puggaree on upside down. The broad band should be on the bottom, the folds should point upwards.

SLOUCH HATS AND THE AWAS by Rick Grebert. In 1944. permission was given for members of the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) to wear: "HATS KHAKI FUR FELT (Mens) .... who work in the sun .... to be worn in camp areas only.."

RAN Slouch hat.

SLOUCH HATS ON THE NAVY by Rick Grebert. Members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) have worn the khaki slouch hat since 1992 (same as the Army khaki slouch hat).

It is worn with a navy blue puggaree with seven pleats and a RAN badge.

The hat was introduced for sun protection as part of an Occupational Health and Safety program. The brim is turned down and the hat is only worn with "work dress". During World War 2, members of the RAN often wore slouch hats when ashore, including in New Guinea. They wore the brim flat. Officers and Petty Officers wore their cap band for a puggaree, with the appropriate badge on the front of the hat. The Junior ranks wore their tally bands for puggarees.


Typical Australian military slouch hat , only it has a Naval badge on the front. The inside band is labelled,- MOUNTCASTLE 1990, MADE IN AUSTRALIA - 57.

	<<< RAAF issue mosquito net designed to be worn over the top of a slouch hat, circa 1943.

	Even the advertisers found that the appeal of the slouch hatted Digger was too good to pass up.

Slouch Hat Memorial at Bullecourt

The Australian slouch hat is possibly the only piece of uniform ever to have had a statue or memorial use it as the central piece. In Bullecourt there are several memorials to the Diggers. This is one of them.

Bullecourt has an excellent private World War I Museum and in the main street is the "Australian Slouch Hat Memorial," a felt Digger's hat bronzed for durability.

By the time World War 2 arrived the Digger Hat was so well known and so popular it was used as an advertising tool to attract young men to the forces; and it must have worked, as this young lady has a whole bunch full of reconditioned and re-blocked hats ready for the next batch of recruits...

Compare these 3 slouch hats to see the slight variations in manufacture, puggaree and different ways of putting the "bash" into them. They are 1918, 1942 and 1952


Gordon Binns was born in 1899, and began his compulsory cadet service in March 1913. In February 1917, aged 18, he enlisted in the AIF, becoming number 712 in the 13th reinforcements to 2 Machine Gun Company. He was sent in March 1918 to reinforce 6 Infantry Battalion, but almost immediately transferred back to 1 Machine Gun (MG) Battalion, of which 2 MG Company was a part.	Australian fur felt slouch hat with a cotton puggaree. The left brim of the hat has a press stud to attach it to the side of the crown. Four small ventilator holes in the crown are reinforced with brown eyelets. The brown leather headband is impressed 'V553 61/2 1942'.	Australian fur felt slouch hat with a cotton puggaree and gilded brass 'Rising Sun' badge. The left brim of the hat has been pinned to the side of the crown by the badge. Four small ventilator holes in the crown are reinforced with khaki eyelets. A brown leather chin strap is attached to the left side of the inner hat band. The other side of the strap has been broken. The brown leather headband is impressed 'DUNKERLY LTD "AKUBRA" 6 7/8 1952 MADE IN AUSTRALIA'
	<< Some hats came armed and dangerous and . . . the females had their own version >> Some were well used
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-26. A belt of Italian BREDA Model 37 machine gun 8mm cartridges was used to decorate the hat of Sapper Vic Fuller of the 2/3rd Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers, 9th Division.		Associated with VX91679 Corporal Valerie M Bracher who enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS). During World War Two she served with 115 Australian General Hospital (AGH) at Heidelburg, Victoria, and 2/1 AGH in New Guinea and Darwin. At the end of the war she was attached to 107 AGH also in Darwin.
	<< This Light horseman has the slightly unusual set up of wearing the emu plumes behind the puggaree and the brim down the bloke on the right is wearing the RAAF version of the slouch hat >>>
Captain Sutton, AIF, a member of a Light Horse unit.		Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) C. Richardson wearing a RAAF summer uniform felt hat.

Ceremonial parade slouch hat belonging to a Trooper of the 2/14th Queensland Mounted Infantry, a Regiment with a proud lineage and history.

<<image from Rick's Hat Check Room

2 views of a 3RAR slouch hat, circa 2000


A genuine used Army Slouch hat with a genuine Army issue puggaree	Side view showing the colour patch.


Slouch Hat as worn by the Australian Military. Bound brim edge, complete with civilian puggaree hatband, unofficial badge and chinstrap. Brass clip and loop to hold brim in the slouch position. Superfine quality. Brim: 89 mm, (Crown height 3½ inch ) Open Crown, not lined. Reeded roan sweatband Colours: Khaki Hatband: civilian puggaree Sizes: 53 - 65cms (Unofficial badge and chin strap included)	A brand new slouch hat with a non issue civilian puggaree as offered for sale in stores and camping goods shops.

Different forms of the "bash"

This image show some of the different bashes (indentations in the crown) worn by Diggers in their "Hats khaki fur felt". It also indicates that there was no attempt at uniformity. This is a sub-unit of the 3rd Australian Light Railway Operating Company. The photograph is dated 6/6/1918. These men were attached to a British army unit, 21st Light Railways Train Crews Company. Note the total absence of chin straps which was a British innovation. Third from the left in the top row is 14053 T/Sgt Jarvis William Latham.

No 2 Mess of the Australian Veterinary Corps 1914. Note the different "bashes".