Asian Conical Hats - Use by Germans in WWI?

[Peter_Suciu]

I recently wrote a short post for my MilitarySunHelmets.com site:
http://www.militarysunhelmets.com/2012/conical-asian-hat-of-the-hong-kong-police" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The British had the Chinese members of the Hong Kong and Shanghai police wear the traditional conical Asian straw hat - with a badge on the front. I've never seen an actual one and I have to wonder if even the Hong Kong Police Museum has one. I doubt few - if any - survived.

But I was reading and it seems Asian volunteers in the German's East Asiatic Forces also wore the conical hat. Does anyone have any information on those?

 

[stuka f]

Can't help you for the hat, but I might have some on the buckle the guy wears on his belt (if thise is any good!?)!
cheers
|<ris

 

[Peter_Suciu]

How many Asian soldiers served as volunteers to the Germans?

 

[joerookery]

Peter I cannot help you with the number. I have never seen those hats on any kind of German auxiliary. Here is a picture of some French auxiliaries with a weird hat.

ps1432 by joerookery, on Flickr

 

[Peter_Suciu]

Joe-That is a fantastic photo. I've been dabbling with various colonial forces headgear, but mostly British forces with turbans, kalpaks, shakos and the various pillbox caps. I wonder how many of those French hats survived. I bet the only ones are in museums.