The Slouch Hat is an object strongly associated with Australian identity. The word ‘slouch’ refers to the sloping brim. The brim is made from rabbit-fur felt or wool felt and is always worn with a puggaree. The Army refers to the slouch hat by its official designation – hat khaki fur felt (KFF).
The slouch hat became a famous symbol of the Australian fighting man during World War I and continued to be worn throughout World War II. Its use since that time has made it a national symbol.
The origins of the slouch hat began with the Victorian Mounted Rifles in 1885. The Victorian hat was an ordinary bush felt hat turned up on the right side to ensure it would not be caught during the drill movement of ‘shoulder arms’ from ‘order arms’.
By 1890, State military commandants had agreed that all Australian forces, except the artillery corps, should wear a looped-up hat of uniform pattern. The hat was turned up on the right side in Victoria and Tasmania, and on the left side in all other States to allow for different drill movements.
The Slouch Hat became standard issue headdress in 1903 and its brim position was mostly standardised.
General Bridges, the first commander of the 1st Australian Imperial Force, was found wearing his slouch hat reversed when he was fatally wounded at Gallipoli. As a mark of respect and remembrance for Bridges, when the slouch hat is worn at Royal Military College – Duntroon, it has become traditional to wear the chinstrap buckle on the right side of the face and the brim down. This tradition commenced at the Royal Military College in 1932.
Within the Australian Army, when worn for ceremonial purposes, the hat is worn with a seven-band puggaree (strap around the brim), six of which represent the states of Australia, while the seventh represents the territories of Australia. A colour patch is worn on the right, a corps or regiment badge on the front and the Rising Sun badge on the turned-up side of the left.
Another important tradition of the slouch hat is that of various units of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, including cavalry and light horse regiments, wearing emu plumes behind the Rising Sun badge. This tradition reportedly began in the First World War when Light Horsemen would chase down emus and steal their feathers to mount in their hats as a sign of their riding skill.
Although it was also a tradition of the Queensland Mounted Infantry prior to Federation.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) wear a jungle green coloured puggaree with no colour patch, a tradition which dates back to service in the Malayan Emergency.
In the other two branches of the Australian Defence Force, slouch hats are also worn. In the Royal Australian Air Force, a hat with a blue puggaree is worn, while members of the Royal Australian Navy have also been known to wear the hat in camouflage situations.
Today, Australian Army members wear the slouch hat with the brim down to provide additional protection from the sun when not performing ceremonial duties. At other times, such as during active service, other more appropriate headwear, such as helmets, are worn instead.
When the slouch hat is worn for ceremonial duties such as parades or ANZAC Day dawn services, it is worn with pride as an honoured national symbol instantly recognised by Australians far and wide, its distinctive sloping brim forever linked to the courage and sacrifice of our veterans.
Courtesy of the Condobolin and District Historical Society Facebook Page.