James C. Hughes' prisoner of war cap

Trying to fight the cold at Cheng Chia Tun Camp in Manchuria, prisoner of war Colonel James C. Hughes constructed this hat in 1945. He used the lining of storage bags to create the cap based on ones worn by members of British Royal Air Force.

As a Kansan Hughes is among a select number of soldiers who served in a major military expedition as well as two world wars. As a photographer took more than 600 images documenting his time at the Mexican border in 1916 and in Europe during 1919. As a Japanese prisoner of war in World War II, Hughes kept a daily diary and, upon liberation, brought home items from his imprisonment. He and his family donated most of these items to the Kansas Museum of History.

More information at: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-clark-hughes/19881