This Day in History: 1899-01-03
The 1st Battalion wore on parade ‘puggarees with covers and curtains‘ for the first time instead of Kilmarnock hats. The new puggaree was first used on active service on the Waziristan Blockade in 1900 but was found to be ‘not altogether satisfactory’. As a result new headgear known as the ‘Kashmir hat‘, designed by Lieutenant Becher, was introduced. It was fitted with light puggaree, ventilating holes and a chin strap and lined with orange-coloured cloth. The Regimental history reports ‘These new hats, obtained from Srinagar, have been worn ever since.’
‘A Gurkha working party near Shinwari camp’. The men standing in the stream are thought to be wearing the ‘pugarees with covers and curtains’ referred to in the Regimental History.