WW2 1942 British Officer’s WD Tropical Slouch Hat By Moores London With Divisional/ Formation Patches, Pagri Headband & Provenance To Captain Edwin Eastwood Rayner Signals Officer 36th Division Army Of Burma Antiques & Militaria

WW2 1942 British Officer’s WD Tropical Slouch Hat By Moores London With Divisional/ Formation Patches, Pagri Headband & Provenance To Captain Edwin Eastwood Rayner Signals Officer 36th Division Army Of Burma. Sn 19461 19461

The 36th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during the Second World War. The division was subsequently redesignated as a British Army formation, the 36th Infantry Division in September 1944. It served in India and during the Burma Campaign. After the end of the war it was disbanded and its remaining British units were transferred to the British 2nd Infantry Division. During the Burma Campaign, the division was distinguished for being the only British division to rely entirely on air supply, mainly by the United States' Tenth Air Force, for an extended period. The United States Army Air Force also provided the division with 12 light aircraft equipped for casualty evacuation and a US Army engineer company to construct its airstrips. Initially, the division was without its own divisional artillery and instead relied on a Chinese artillery group under US command. The division, having linked up with the main body of Lieutenant General William "Bill" Slim's British Fourteenth Army, crossed the Irrawaddy River and advanced independently down the eastern side of the river. Units from the division suffered losses forcing the crossing the 300 yard wide Shweli River but the division continued to advance until the fall of Mandalay in March 1945. This is an original WW2 Tropical Slouch Hat to a named British Signals Officer who served with the 36th Division in the Burma campaign. A 1 page typed note from a member of the Oficer’s family identifies him as Captain Edwin Eastwood Rayner and contains antecedents and anecdotal service history of the officer which can be read in image 2. The note and a copy of an original photograph of the Officer wearing tropical uniform and his slouch hat accompanies this piece. The hat has its original khaki Pagri headband and its khaki body is undamaged. It has its original ventilation holes at the edge of the crown and press stud fastener on the left side of the brim and skull. The hat is mounted with its original embroidered cloth Divisional/ Formation Patches with vivid colour. The hat has its original leather sweatband . The sweatband is impressed by the maker ‘Moores London’ and has WD arrow mark together with size 7 1/8 and 1942 date. The Officer’s ink hand written name and rank is also visible on the sweatband. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 19461

£495