Original British WWII Brigadier General Sir Hugh Charles Stockwell Named Visor Cap Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Recently acquired from a highly respected private collection, this WWII Officer Visor Cap is named to General George Howard Brett. Beyond originating from a respected collection which contained multiple named items with provenance, there is no provenance or paperwork offered with this hat. Based on the origin, quality, markings and other factors we believe this hat to be genuine.

This fine quality cap has a 40 mm wide red wool band, with the body of the cap fabricated from a khaki wool, in the traditional flat top design with raised peak. There are four khaki-colored metal eyelets, two on either side of the seam at the rear of the cap, on the underside of the overhang for ventilation.

The front is adorned with a 34.5 mm (w) x 49.5 mm (h) Brigadier’s Cap Badge, illustrating the lion standing upon the King’s crown, the badge fabricated from gold-colored and silvered bullion wire, with maroon felt in the void of the crown, touches of red embroidery in the crown on and in the tongue of the lion, along with touches of red and green embroidery in the base of the crown.

The khaki wool visor has a chocolate brown two-piece leather chinstrap resting along the top edge, held in position via silvered GRVI buttons on both sides. The underside of the visor is in khaki wool, the visor itself very stiff. The 50 mm wide sweatband is fabricated from cinnamon brown leather, emboss stamped “Real Roam Leather” on the left side, the two ends stitched together at the rear. The sidewalls are lined in a silver rayon, the dome covered in a reddish-brown moisture-resistant fabric, with a HERBERT JOHNSON LONDON manufacturer’s stamp in the dome, the stamp with the designation “BY APPOINTMENT / TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN / HATTERS” above. The sweatband exhibits very light soiling, with one area of loss. Most nattily the sweatband is embossed with gold classical font lettering that reads: Sir. H.C. Stockwell.

The cap is free of mothing. Overall, it continues to exhibit smooth quality in the wool, plus quality workmanship, intact stitching, maintaining its original period look, extremely fine.

General Sir Hugh Charles Stockwell, GCB, KBE, DSO & Bar (16 June 1903 – 27 November 1986) was a senior British Army officer most remembered for commanding the Anglo-French ground forces during the Suez Crisis and his service as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1960 to 1964.

With the approach of the Second World War, on 23 December 1938, Stockwell became Brigade Major of the 158th Brigade, which was known as the “Royal Welch Brigade” because it was composed entirely of three Territorial Army battalions of his regiment. He was promoted major on 1 February 1940. Unlikely to see action in Northern Ireland where his unit was based, Stockwell volunteered in March 1940 and was selected to command one of the independent companies formed to serve in the Norwegian Campaign. The independent companies arrived in Norway in early May under the command of Colin Gubbins. Stockwell, commanding No. 2 Independent Company, was soon promoted to lieutenant-colonel to replace Gubbins who had been given command of 24th Guards Brigade. By late May it was clear that lacking air support the British force was outmatched and there was no alternative to evacuation. As the British withdrew from Norway, Stockwell was assigned to the rearguard and commanding a force of two independent companies and a battalion of the Irish Guards successfully held a defensive position for two days, before being ordered to withdraw. After withdrawing, he assembled two platoons and attacked the German positions to stop their assault. For his “great courage and determination” in this action, he was appointed to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1940. The citation for this award read:

    STOCKWELL. MAJOR (LOCAL LIEUTENANT-COLONEL)
    HUGH CHARLES. The Royal Welch Fusiliers.
    When Placed in command of a mixed force of all arms at a difficult moment in the Rognan Valley operation, he showed great skill and energy in organizing a defensive Position within a short period, and by his energy and determination inspiring all ranks. He held the position successfully for 48 hours until ordered to withdraw. During the withdrawal towards a small and congested harbour, close behind where troops were embarking, he showed great courage and determination when part of his rearguard went astray. He immediately came back, collected two platoons, and went forward again with them, and put them into action to stem the German advance. This officer’s military capacity and soldierly qualities were displayed at a time when the situation was most difficult.

After the Norwegian Campaign, the independent companies were disbanded but many individuals involved moved to the newly formed British Commandos. Stockwell was selected to head the commando training centre at Lochailort. In 1942, he returned to the Royal Welch to command the 2nd battalion, part of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group which was training in amphibious operations to take part in Operation Ironclad, the seizure of the natural port of Diego Suarez in Madagascar which was occupied by the Vichy French. The brigade left Scotland in late March 1942 and after a brief pause in South Africa, sailed for Madagascar to land unopposed on 5 May. After a day’s fighting the British force achieved its objectives. The brigade group took part in further fighting in September when it was decided to take control of the whole of the island and establish Free French control.

After his success in the battle, Stockwell was promoted to brigadier in late October and given command of the 30th (East Africa) Infantry Brigade. After a tenure of only just over a month he was posted to South Africa to take command of the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group which was preparing to ship to India as part of 36th Infantry Division. Arriving in India in late January 1943, Stockwell remained the brigade’s commander until January 1945 seeing action in the Second Arakan Campaign in early 1944 and then in northern India and Burma from mid 1944 onwards.

In January 1945, Stockwell was granted the acting rank of major-general and still in Burma, was at short notice given command of the 82nd (West Africa) Division. George Bruce, its existing commander, had displayed erratic behaviour which had resulted in Philip Christison, the commander of XV Indian Corps and a party of senior officers being placed in jeopardy when visiting the division’s front. Christison placed Bruce on the sick list and called for Stockwell. Stockwell was not without his own eccentricities. He selected a WO 1 (RSM) as a sort of adviser on the Africans. This man, who Stockwell described as ‘tremendous’, had fought for the Germans in the First World War and won the Iron Cross. Stockwell got him a DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal). “He must have been the only soldier to wear an Iron Cross and a DCM.”

But Louis Mountbatten, the theatre supreme commander, wrote in his diary:

    …so Hugh Stockwell has taken over and it is possible to visit his front in greater safety! I can hardly imagine a better Divisional Commander than the latter.

His promotion from major to acting major general had taken less than five years although on taking command of the division his permanent rank was still only lieutenant-colonel (war substantive colonel) and he became a substantive colonel only in July 1946. 82nd Division saw heavy fighting and suffered the highest casualties of any formation in XV Indian Corps. April 1945 saw the end of the division’s active service but it remained in Burma until October 1946.Stockwell’s major-general’s rank was made permanent in May 1947. For his services in Burma he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1945 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1946. He was also mentioned in despatches in 1945.