WWI Belgian Heads

[Leman (Andy)]

Having seen the comment on heads in the general discussion section, it occurred to me that the so-called Belgian Yser cap might be a useful head. This came in relatively quickly as the Belgian army was re-equipped as it fell back before the German onslaught. From the very start it was worn by the Belgian engineers, who otherwise wore the normal greatcoat. It was adopted by the Belgian infantry whilst they still wore the greatcoat (there is a famous photo of retreating wounded British marines with two Belgians behind them wearing the Yser cap). The complete Yser uniform featured a short jacket, rather than the greatcoat, and this can be modelled using the dismounted Belgian cyclist figures. The September/October 1914 Belgian army would have shown a mix of early and interim uniforms. The Belgian khaki uniform, looking very similar to the later French uniform, did not come in until well into 1915.