Railway Troops private's service dress cap Obverse
Name/Title
1917-1918 12th Canadian Railway Troops private's service dress cap w/ badge
Entry/Object ID
2019.3.110
Description
1917-1918 12th Canadian Railway Troops private's service dress cap w/ badge
Use
A Great War service brown khaki dress cap made from wool. The top is flattened and has a quilted peak. Attached is an adjustable brown leather chinstrap (31cm length x 9cm height) with two brass buckles connected to two British General List chinstrap buttons (1cm diameter) on either side of the dress cap. In the center is a King's Crown, maple leaf Canadian Railway Troops cap badge. The interior of the cap has a black oilskin lining and a grey wool sweatband.
Context
See the 1918-1919 10th Battalion officer's service dress cap for a similar context. Quick footnote: Formed in 1915, Canadian railway troops built and repaired railways near the front in France and Belgium. In the last two years of the war, the Canadians were responsible for all railway lines along the Western Front. By the war's end, there were over 19,000 Canadian railway troops.
