Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Pre 1914, "Torin" Style Side Cap, 1885

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Overview

A "Torin" style side cap, a style of headdress variously worn by Volunteers in Western Australia circa 1880 to 1895.

Historical information

In the British Army, the first cap to be adopted of this style was the "Glengarry", which was authorised for all British infantry regiments in 1868 (although Scottish regiments had been wearing a round version since 1848 called a Kilmarnock[30] or Humle bonnet, which had been folded to make a side cap). The Glengarry was replaced for officers of most non-Scottish units by a cap called the "torin" (which was worn from circa 1884 until 1896, when it too was replaced by a style for all ranks known as the "Austrian cap", which had a fold-down arrangement, giving the appearance when unfolded of a balaclava, thus warming the ears and back of the neck.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-54-448

Inscriptions and markings

A side cap is a military cap that can be folded flat when not being worn. It is also known as a garrison cap or flight cap in the United States, wedge cap in Canada, or field service cap in the United Kingdom. A convenient feature of the Side Cap is that it can be stored by folding it over the belt or by tucking it under a shoulder strap. By the mid-1870s this type of cap became popular with British officers serving overseas . It was often called the “Torin” cap (named after the Irish officer who supposedly designed the British Army version). Although it was authorized for overseas use it did not appear in dress regulations until 1883. It is described as a cap for “Active service and peace manoeuvres” being of blue cloth, 5 inches high with flaps 4 inches high to be folded down when needed.

Contextual Information

This exhibit may be found as part of the Volunteer units display in the Pre 1914 Gallery of the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia.

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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