ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Military issue, Commonwealth of Australia slouch hat, size indeterminate. The slouch hat is a descendant of felt hats worn by 19th C armies, and today is considered to be a national symbol of the Australian nation. The slouch hat bears an affixed military issue, Commonwealth of Australia Fifth (5th) Pattern General Service Badge (full color), also referred to as the, "Rising Sun" Badge. The badge is comprised of a raised, "trophy of arms" (i.e. mounted cut and thrust swords and triangular Martini Henri bayonets) arranged in a semicircle around and above the St Edwards Crown at the center, above a scroll bearing the inscription, "AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES". Approved in 1954, the Fifth Pattern General Service Badge substituted the Imperial State Crown with the St Edwards Crown and was first issued to commonwealth troops in 1966. An associated handwritten note (VIVE (3113)) dedicating the slouch hat and General Service Badge, "IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE AUSTRALIANS WHO SERVED AND DIED IN THE BOER WAR, TWO WORLD WARS, KOREA, MALAYA AND VIETNAM", generally, and to three (3) generations of Ford family Commonwealth of Australia military veterans, specifically, is presently tucked inside the hat band. The artifact was left at The Wall by an anonymous donor, presumably a Ford family member or associate [?], between April - June 1988. (Source: Australian Army- www.army.gov.au)

MILITARY ISSUE, COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA SLOUCH HAT, ALSO REFERRED TO AS AN "AUSTRALIAN BUSH HAT" OR A, "DIGGER HAT", SIZE INDETERMINATE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF BROWN OR TAN AUSTRALIAN FUR FELT AND FEATURES FOUR (4) CROWN VENT HOLES (TWO (2) AT EACH OF THE PROPER RIGHT- AND LEFT-HAND SIDES) WITH BROWN METAL GROMMETS, A PLEATED, TAN CANVAS CLOTH HAT BAND, A DARK BROWN LEATHER SWEAT BAND, AND A REDDISH RAWHIDE LEATHER CHIN STRAP WITH BLACK STEEL BUCKLES. A MILITARY ISSUE, COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA FIFTH (5TH) PATTERN GENERAL SERVICE BADGE, ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE, "RISING SUN" BADGE (FULL COLOR) IS AFFIXED TO THE UNDER-SURFACE OF THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE HAT BRIM VIA A COTTER PIN DEVICE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A GOLD COLORED METAL BADGE COMPRISED OF A RAISED, "TROPHY OF ARMS" (I.E. MOUNTED CUT AND THRUST SWORDS AND TRIANGULAR MARTINI HENRI BAYONETS) ARRANGED IN A SEMICIRCLE AROUND AND ABOVE THE ST EDWARDS CROWN EXECUTED IN RAISED RELIEF AT THE CENTER, ABOVE A SCROLL BEARING AN INSCRIPTION IN RAISED, BLOCK LETTERING READING, "AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES". THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE HAT BRIM IS TURNED UP AND AFFIXED TO THE HAT CROWN VIA A METAL HOOK DEVICE, IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THE MANUAL OF ARMS DRILL. A HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS READING, "FORD NX166634", IS OBSERVED UPON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE SWEAT BAND AT THE HAT INTERIOR SURFACE. THE INSCRIPTION IS A REFERENCE TO COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA SERVICE MEMBER CORPORAL (CPL) F. W. FORD, A WORLD WAR II VETERAN TO WHOM THE OBJECT IS DEDICATED. AN ASSOCIATED HANDWRITTEN NOTE (VIVE (3113)) DEDICATING THE SLOUCH HAT AND GENERAL SERVICE BADGE, "IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE AUSTRALIANS WHO SERVED AND DIED IN THE BOER WAR, TWO WORLD WARS, KOREA, MALAYA AND VIETNAM", GENERALLY, AND TO THREE (3) GENERATIONS OF FORD FAMILY COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA MILITARY VETERANS, SPECIFICALLY, IS PRESENTLY TUCKED INSIDE THE HAT BAND AT THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE. (SOURCE: AUSTRALIAN ARMY- WWW.ARMY.GOV.AU) ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, THE RESEARCH REFERENCE PERTAINING TO THIS OBJECT WAS RECORDED AS, "REF: V63". THE OBJECT IS ASSOCIATED WITH VIVE (3113).

Text of the handwritten inscription upon the interior surface of the sweatband at the hat interior and of the affixed General Service Badge is transcribed in full, as follows: [Slouch hat, interior sweatband surface, handwritten inscription] "FORD NX166634" / [Affixed General Service Badge, raised lettering inscription] "AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES"

Item Weight: 207.6g (Collective weight of VIVE (3112 & 3113))
Item Length: 36.0cm
Item Width: 26.5cm
Item Height: 12.0cm