Boys Brigade Uniform Headgear: Pillbox Caps


Figure 1.--This Brigader wears a pillbox cap with a number badge rather than the Boys' Brigade emblem. Also notice the chin strap. The boy was photographed with a rifle. We suspect that image was taken during World War I.

We note that Brigaders commonly wore pillbox caps, a popular army style, in the late 19th and early 20th century. This appears to have continued into the 1910s. After World War I, however, the Glengarry-style campaign caps become more common and are still associated with the Boys Brogade today. We do not yet, however, have a precise timeline. The caps appear quite similar. We assume they were blue. Available images show two horizontal stripes and a button top. We notice variations like stripes of different widths. The bagges on the front of the caps, however varied. We note some Brigaders wear caps with badges that have the Boys' Brigade symbol. Others wear badges with numbers on them. We assume that was their unit numbers. These pillbox caps came with chin straps. I am not sure how commonly these were used.






Christopher Wagner







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Created: July 9, 2002
Last updated: July 9, 2002