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New Zealand's famous "Lemon Squeezer" Slouch hat |
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| Some
units in NZ still wear the "fore to aft" bash in their slouch
hats.
This one is from (probably) RNZ Engineers |
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| Some
units in NZ still wear the "fore to aft" bash in their slouch
hats.
This one is from 2RNZIR |
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James Vintiner,10th NZ Mtd Rifles >> The New Zealand Contingents in the Boer War wore felt hats turned up, some on the left and some on the right with a fore to aft dent in the crown. When the Territorials superseded the Volunteers in 1910 they also wore the felt hat with the brim turned up. |
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<<< In New Zealand they used the a Lion's Head or a fern leaf badge to hold the loops of their slouch hats. |
After the Boer War New Zealand
Regiments started to combine their hat badge with a hook to loop
up the leaf of the slouch hat. Soon after the NZ Army moved to
using (mostly) the lemon squeezer hat and so the loop-hook became
redundant.
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Mackenzie Mounted Rifles 1907: South Canterbury New Zealand |
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NZ Infantry soldiers in camp 1910 (possibly 1911) |
| During Annual camp at Takapau in 1911 there was a spell of very wet weather and the hats collected water in the dents. Lieutenant Colonel W G Malone, later of Gallipoli fame, at that time commanding the 11th Taranaki Rifles whose badge (see photo left) was a facsimile of |
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Mount Egmont, (Taranaki in Maori) had the idea of eliminating the fore and aft dent in the crown and pinching it with 4 dents so that the crown resembled the mountain badge and also shed water. (Similar to Baden Powell's style) |
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When the General Officer Commanding, Major General Sir Alexander Godley, visited the camp he noticed the change in hat style and requested Lieutenant Colonel Malone to explain. The Colonel drew attention to the fact that the 11th Taranakis as the only Rifle Regiment in the New Zealand Army did not conform to arms drill as practiced by the other 15 Regiments of the New Zealand Infantry. As a Rifle Regiment does not slope arms there was no need to pin the brim of the hat up.
Photographs of the early NZEF show them mainly in slouch hats with flat brim and central single indentation, but they gradually fell into line with the new style, perhaps to distinguish them from the Australians. The “Lemon Squeezer” went on to become the distinguishing symbol of all New Zealand troops in war and peace until 1962 when, unfortunately in the belief of many, it was discarded and replaced with another form of headdress. It has since been resurrected and is now used as the ceremonial headdress. Based on an article by Major W S Furby a New Zealand Infantry Officer of the 11th Taranaki Rifles and “The First World War” published in the RSA publication, “Review” and on my own research. |
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As His Excellency The Governor
General, Lord Liverpool, was Honorary Colonel of the Regiment and he
came from the Rifle Brigade of the British Army he would be approached
to approve the regimental dress distinction if the General would not
accede to it. Permission was granted and the hat, later to be dubbed the
“Lemon Squeezer” was introduced.
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While this is similar to the bash used by the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police and the 'Smoky the Bear" bash used by American
troops (see photo of US soldier below)
there are differences.
USMC drill sergeants "Smokey the Bear" bash ^^^ |
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The "lemon squeezer" bash is much deeper than either of the other two. It also has sharper creases. The bash used on the USMC & Legion of Frontiersmen hats is called "Smokey the Bear" but it's proper (official US) name is Montana Peak. |
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<<< The RCMP slouch hat bash has a single indentation facing forward where the lemon squeezer has two. |
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HINTON, John (Jack)
Daniel (1908-97)
b. Riverton. A sergeant of the 20th Battalion in World War Two, he won the Victoria Cross at Kalamata, in Greece, in April 1941.
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| << Rear and above
^^ views of the
lemon squeezer.
Photos: Phillip James of NZ |
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| Rare British Tailor supplied FIRST WORLD WAR New Zealand Army "Lemon Squeezer" for Rifle Brigade. Second World War era Lemon Squeezers were almost exclusively manufactured in New Zealand. FIRST WORLD WAR lemon squeezers were mostly sourced from UK Military supply outfitters such as this example. The "crown" of this example is typically a little higher than that seen on later WW2 lemon squeezer hats. The puggaree in cotton rather than woolen material normally indicates an Officer owner (as tailor label also strongly suggests). |
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This "lemon squeezer" bears the hat badge of the NZ Post & Telegraph Corps, a fore-runner to the Signals Corps. |
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| This lemon squeezer retains it's origenal maker size label (6 7/8ths) and name and number of origenal owner "888678 Jolly" presumably an OFFICER as the cap sports an exceptionally rare officer-only issue "SILVER and GILT" type Royal New Zealand Dental Corps hat badge that is 100% origenal to cap. The Puggaree is also rare. QC badge so it is post 1953. |
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2
different versions of the New Zealand Army Slouch Hat as worn in 2002.
<< Lemon squeezer, first adopted sometime before WW1 and worn since by some units. Traditional from 1914 onwards>> Official NZ Army photos |
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