This tradition commenced at the Royal Military College in 1932. 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. 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. The Slouch Hat became standard issue headdress in 1903 and its brim position was mostly standardised. 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 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'.īy 1890, State military commandants had agreed that all Australian forces, except the artillery corps, should wear a looped-up hat of uniform pattern. The origins of the slouch hat began with the Victorian Mounted Rifles in 1885. Its use since that time has made it a national symbol. The slouch hat became a famous symbol of the Australian fighting man during World War One and continued to be worn throughout World War Two. The Army refers to the slouch hat by its official designation - hat khaki fur felt (KFF). The brim is made from rabbit-fur felt or wool felt and is always worn with a puggaree. The word ‘slouch’ refers to the sloping brim. The slouch hat is an object strongly associated with Australian identity.
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