Field Service cap : Private W A Steel , 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles

Rifle green wool field service cap with turned up flaps secured by a pair of brass British general service buttons.

Worn by 109 Private Watson Augustus Steel, 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles. Born in the town of Rockley NSW in 1861. He worked with the Bank of NSW, first at Temora before being transfered to Bungendore. While in Bungendore he contacted the Acting Premier of NSW, Bede Dalley, asking to join the NSW contingent to the Sudan in 1885. His request was declined, but he was asked to assist in forming a local militia unit. The unit he helped create was the Bungendore Corps of the Southern District Reserves, where he attained the rank of First Lieutenant. His association with the unit was shortlived as the bank posted him to a branch in Sydney in 1886, a posting he did not enjoy. He soon resigned from the bank, choosing instead to return to the country for work.

On 20 December 1899, while in Forbes, he enlisted to fight in South Africa. He was accepted as a private and was one of 25 men sent with the Second NSW Contingent to reinforce 'A'Squadron of the NSW Mounted Rifles, which had been serving in South Africa since December. Upon arrival in South Africa in February 1900 Steel moved to join the main British force gathered at the Modder River. He saw his first action at Klip Drift on 6 March, an engagement that lasted most of the day and resulted in the NSW Mounted Rifles suffering at least six casualties.

The Mounted Rifles continued to advance towards Bloemfontein, arriving on 12 April. It was here, during the cold wet nights, protected by just a blanket, that much of the army became sick. Private Steel spent much of May and June in hospital recovering. By July he had lost the cork helmet that had been issued to him, and was forced to wear this field service cap as an alternative. He complained that the cap provided him with no protection from the sun during the day and no protection from the wind during the night. He later acquireed a Boer felt hat as a replacement, marking it with an 'A' for Australia on the side.

Steel returned to Australia in January 1901, having served 356 days abroad. In 1907 he began working at the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1926. An amateur historian, he wrote several published articles, including a history of Rockley. He died on 12 June 1946.