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United Kingdom. General Service Cap or Beret of the Cyprus Regiment, 1945
The General Service Cap, commonly known as the British beret, was introduced by the British Army in 1943 to replace the Field Service Cap. It was widely worn during the final years of the Second World War, particularly throughout the campaigns in Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany in 1944–45.
This example bears the cap badge of the Cyprus Regiment. Approximately 30,000 Cypriots served in the regiment during the war. The unit saw combat from the early stages of the conflict, taking part in the Battle of France, the Battle of Greece—where around 600 soldiers were captured at Kalamata in 1941—the North African campaign, including Operation Compass, as well as operations in France, the Middle East, and Italy.
Inside, it is marked by the manufacturer J. Collett Ltd. of London, together with the size 7 1/8 and the date of manufacture, 1945.
Original British Second World War beret.
