Name/Title
Superintendent's uniform cap c1958Entry/Object ID
123Description
Blue wool cap, with single silver coloured braided band on peak, leather chinstrap and embroidered navy coloured band of foliage (laurel ?). Marked "J Compton, Sons & Webb Ltd", no sizeUse
For use by a uniform male superintendent of chief superintendent.Context
Senior police officers have long had rank insignia on the peaks of their caps as well as on their tunics. A silver coloured band is the insignia for both a superintendent and a chief superintendent. The rank of chief superintendent was only introduced after 1949 when the Metropolitan Police regraded a number of middle ranking officers. This cap has an embroidered band which was also restricted to senior officers caps. It dates from a period before the checkered band or "Sillitoe Tartan" was introduced, which did not become widespread in English police forces until the 1970s.
Caps similar to this would have been used in all of the pre amalgamation Sussex police forces, although it is not known whether the embroidered band was used in Sussex Constabulary after the forces merged in 1968. The checkered band was introduced for all caps in Sussex Constabulary in the summer of 1971. This particular cap is thought to date from the late 1950s, but could be as late as 1970.