Cap comforter

Acapcomforteris a form ofwoollenmilitaryheadgearoriginating in theBritish Army.

Cap, Comforter
Lord Lovatand other British commandos wearing cap comforters in 1942
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	19th century–Present
Used by	United Kingdom Australia Netherlands
Wars	First World War Second World War Afghanistan War

It is a cylinder of knitted wool, similar to a shortscarf,that is typically fitted over the head and fashioned into a hat. It can be worn comfortably underneath aBrodie helmet,and is often sewn shut at one or both ends. The cap comforter bears no insignia, and can be easily stowed without being creased.

History

Cap comforters were introduced in the late 19th century as informal working headdress for British soldiers performing manual labour at camp, and as a comfortable undress cap on active service.

First World War

Trenchraiderswearing capcomforters in various ways in 1916

Cap comforters were worn during theFirst World Waras a warm alternative to theservice dress cap,as the fabric could be pulled low over the ears in the cold winter trenches. Their casual and non-rigidsilhouettemade them an ideal item for night timetrench raids.

Second World War

In theSecond World War,soldiers in many British and Canadian regiments wore cap comforters during field training and while carrying out manual tasks.

Commandos

TheCommando Memorialdepicts three soldiers wearing the cap comforter

TheBritish commandoswere an international force recruited from across variousAlliedunits, many with distinctive headdresses. As a solution to this lack of uniformity, commando units adopted their own practical headgear.No.1Commandochose thegreen beretin imitation of theRoyal Armoured Corps,whereasNo.2andNo.9adopted theScottishtam o' shanter.Other units, includingNo.4Commando(andUS Army Rangersattached during theDieppe Raid), adopted the cap comforter as their headdress, because it had no prior affiliation with a nation or regiment.

In autumn 1942, theWar Officeapproved thegreen beretas the official commando headgear, though the cap comforter continued to be worn, already synonymous with the apparel of the commandos.

Post-war

Canada

Canada had issued a number of knit headgear items since 1945, though the term "cap comforter" has been replaced with "toque."

United Kingdom

The British Army has stopped issuing cap comforters, replacing them instead with headovers- similar items based onWehrmachttoques.Headovers are not sewn at the ends, and so can be worn likebalaclavas.However, cap comforters are still used by units with links to the original commandos. Troops undertaking theRoyal MarinesorAll ArmsCommando Courses atCTCRMstill wear them after the pass-in tests.

Netherlands

DutchKorps Commandotroepenalso wear the headgear until they pass their selection course, after which they are qualified to wear a green beret.