Man makes baffling historical discovery in house he’s lived in his whole life

Staff
By Staff

After discovering an unusual hat on top of a cupboard in the house he has lived in his whole life, a man sought advice from others to work out what the many badges attached to it might mean

A man was left confused after discovering a hat on top of his cabinet (stock)
A man was left confused after discovering a hat on top of his cabinet (stock)(Image: E+/Getty Images)

A man has sought the help of historians after he discovered an unusual artefact tucked away in the house he has lived in his entire life. He took to Reddit to share three snaps of a khaki-coloured hat featuring several badges and a patch embroidered with the letters ‘CA’. It’s not the first time someone has made a haunting discovery at home, so the man went online for advice.

“Found this hat on top of a cabinet at my house I’ve lived in my whole life,” the man penned in the Weird subreddit. “I have no idea where it came from.” He went on to add: “I’ve lived in this house 10+ years and this just appeared randomly. My family and I have no idea where it came from.”

Badges included that of tanks, an eagle, stars and a hammer and sickle, which prompted several Reddit users to share their theories, many of who were quick to point out it may have been of Russian origin.

“A unique find, well done,” one person praised. A second added: “Looks similar to my pop’s VFW [Veterans of Foreign War] hat, but foreign.”

Others offered more detailed information, however. “This is a Soviet military side cap used as organiser for pins and stuff,” one person explained.

“In the first photo there are a sleeve patch, collar tabs and pins of various Soviet Army branches and a souvenir pin from the Kremlin. The pin with the eagle appears to be from a Russian military uniform. In the second photo there’s a shoulder mark. CA stands for Soviet Army.”

Whilst a second agreed, explaining in more detail: “In the context of military uniforms, ‘CA’ on epaulettes typically refers to the Soviet Army (Sovetskaya Armiya). The letters ‘CA’ are the Cyrillic abbreviation for ‘Soviet Army’.

“Epaulettes are ornamental shoulder pieces, often found on military and other formal uniforms. In the case of the Soviet Army, they were used to denote rank and branch of service.

“The letters “CA” were present on the epaulettes of most enlisted personnel. The garrison cap is also Soviet make.”

Meanwhile a third person, while agreeing, questioned the hat’s authenticity. “It’s a pilotka, I have one from when I went on holiday to Moscow years ago,” they said.

“They tend to be sold in the touristy areas of the city by street vendors and loaded with old athletic badges and stuff.”

After the Soviet Union was dissolved in December 1991, the newly formed Russian Federation adopted its own military structure and abolished ‘CA’ from uniforms.

This was due to the ‘Russian Army’ replacing the ‘Soviet Army’.

On May 7, 1992, meanwhile, Russian President, Boris Yeltsin signed a decree creating the Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet troops on Russian territory under Russian control.

Share This Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *