RCAF Peak Cap Info Requested

[ledfut]

Warrant Officer II L.A. Yellowlees!

The badge is a bit of a mystery. As the previoius owner said, it appears to be 100% original to the cap. The writeup on Yellowlees indicates that he was a F/S in 1943 and that he was commissioned shortly after the war. Perhaps he held the rank of Warrant Officer some time in between? I am doubtful that he would have reverted from a commissioned officer to warrant officer post war, and then rose all the way to Wing Commander.

I have ordered a copy of Mr. Yellowlees service file from Library and Archives Canada. This should hopefully solve the mystery once and for all. If Yellowlees did in fact hold the rank of Warrant Officer during WW2, then this is most likely a WW2 cap (or at the very latest 1946). The writing on the band (with the rank of W/C) could have been added post-war as a way of marking his property. If it turns out Yellowlees never held the rank of Warrant Officer, then it is likely that the cap is Yellowlees post-war W/C cap that someone has cobbled together (for whatever reason - perhaps misreading W/C for WO???) with an incorrect WO badge.


Will keep you updated!

Craig

I received the Yellowlees file today from Library and Archives Canada. As I had hoped, it does indeed shed some light on this little mystery.

It turns out that Mr. Yellowlees DID in fact hold the rank of WO II for a significant period during WW2. This leads me believe that the cap is authentic. The writing on the band (with the rank of W/C) could very possibly have been added post-war. Although there is no bonafide way to prove the authenticity of this cap, the LAC file certainly adds a degree of provenance. With all of the evidence now in hand, I am quite satisfied that this cap is indeed legit.