Palestine Force Kalpak

Peter_Suciu

Peter_Suciu

Well-known member
Here was my "final" SOS purchase. I bought it after I packed up and was just making the rounds to say goodbye (Joe, Gus, James were already long gone at that point). This is a Palestine Force Kalpak.

The unit was formed on orders from General Allenby to help police Palestine.

PalestineForce-Kalpak.jpg
 
I presume this is a circa 1918 onwards kalpak, right after the victorious allies split the Ottoman occupied Levant territories between the French (Lebanon & Syria) and the British (Trans Jordan/Palestine, Iraq, Cyprus)?

You can see the influence of the Turks--who, in turn, took it from the Cossacks--on the military dress code of the area back then and well into our modern days. When my father graduated from the Lebanese military academy in the early 60s, the officer cadets' dress uniform included a white kalpak. It is still worn by officer cadets today.

Here's an excerpt from Richard H. Kraemer's WW2 memoirs (The Secret War in the Balkans) that mentions the Palestine Police Force and the Trans Jordan Frontier Force (http://books.google.com.lb/books?id=hMRLY5zoTmAC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=lebanese+army+kalpak&source=bl&ots=Uwd7wjXKae&sig=7O_NDaFr53c85c7odMvwA7pu86I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Rn9TT8nrFY34sgbIqfjfCw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=lebanese%20army%20kalpak&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):
"The TJFF uniform consisted of (from bottom up) black British Army boots, (...), and a dramatic hat called Kalpak which looked more Russian Cossack than Arab."
 
ukturkcollector said:
Peter, do you have a picture of the back/top to the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force kalpak? This is the first Blue top I have seen. Only seen the red version up till now. Thanks
Click to expand...

I think it is blue because it is Palestine Force, not the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force. So I believe I read that the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force wore red, along those tribal lines while the Palestine Force to the north west wore blue. Now I wish I had bid more for that Trans-Jordan Frontier Force kalpak that was on eBay.

I'll have to take pictures of the turbans I bought too. I might have a lead on more of those... I guess I'm a turban collector at this point too.
 
Here is a little something that I picked up at SOS, like Peter's Kalpak, it fits into the catagorie of dead 'possum to most of the pointy hat collectors.
It is an Imperial Russian Papahka with the cockade of an officer.
sos2012005.jpg

Best
Gus
 
http://www.cultmancollectables.com/products/palestine-police-kalpak" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This might be of interest to those who collect non-pointy hats

Patrick
 
Very nice Gus. And thank you Patrick. That seems to be a bit later version of the Kalpak than the one I picked up. I think that is an officer's and mine is lower ranks. I guess I need to do some research.
 
Excellent information. I know Alex but didn't know he had this much on the Palestine Force.

I've been to Israel but didn't have time to "look" for much. I was only in Jerusalem for a day, and most of that time was in the old city. But I did get to walk through the same gate as Allenby. That was pretty much the highlight of that day! :D
 
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