WW1 British Royal Artillery Officer Peaked Service Dress Cap

A very fine early WW1 British officers stiff service cap with bronze Royal Artillery badge & name of its RFA officer owner written to headband of cap.
Very typical of the type of cap worn by officers at the outbreak of war in 1914 these stiff caps were soon found to be impractical as they were bulky & could not be easily stored when not in use. Softer styles of cap soon became available to front line officers & so this version lost popularity very quickly. Made of fine khaki ribbed material its construction is similar to that of the 1905 Other Ranks caps but with better quality materials. To the front of the cap is an internally mounted steel stiffener spring which keeps it high & taut , this can just be seen from the inside behind where the cap badge is mounted. The leather chinstrap is of the early thinner type with adjustable sliders at each end. The underside of the peak is made of green leather cloth as found on the other ranks caps of the period . This is again a very typical feature of early war officer caps when found on this style . A sweat shield protects the cap & I have made no attempt to remove it. Some minor moth nips can be seen beneath the chinstrap when it is lifted, not visible when it is in situ . The officer has written his name onto the leather headband ( See image ) with potential for further research.
With all of the grime of extensive service use to the peak , it has survived well for a cap of this age & a piece no doubt in wear during the 1914 outbreak of war.

Code: 12383