WWI US Overseas Cap #2 – French pattern

In addition to the 1918 regulation cap I posted, members of the American Expeditionary Force frequently wore side caps based on British and French patterns. There are photos of American units with personnel wearing multiple examples of all three styles.
This is an example of a French made American overseas cap, patterned after the French bonnet de police. It is made of olive drab wool felt, and has a simple light bluish liner with no sweat band. There is some glue where a label may have been.

Again, this is an enlisted ranks cap. Instead of the prescribed insignia, it bears an equipment tag for an artillery unit, stamped with the number “114”. The friend and collector who traded this cap to me believed this was evidence that some soldiers used equipment tags as cap insignia. I’m not convinced unless I find photographic evidence or another example with good provenance. If my friend was right, this cap belonged to a member of the 114th Artillery Regiment, 30th Division, AEF. Otherwise, it’s just a tag from another item, property number 144, which somehow made it onto this cap.

This cap could have been worn any time from late 1917 till shortly after the end of the war, then made it home as the personal property of the doughboy who wore it.

The final photo is for comparison with the other caps I’m posting today. This cap is in the middle.