WW1 or WW2 ?

[Ian Hulley]

How would one tell the exact period a British Artillery Captain's uniform (cap,service tunic and trousers) is from ? I intend to sell the remainder of my collection and would like to advertise the things correctly so as not to look an ar$e you understand

What would such an ensemble fetch these days ? I also have a couple of Sam Brownes one with a sword hanger and one with a pistol holster.

Cheers for any info, Ian.

[SHEARING-CROSS]

Hello Ian ,
to be fair we really need pictures of the lot , have you looked in side the jacket pocket for a makers label ? ( often the in side breast pocket ) also some times theres a label in the inside crotch seam of the pants , are the rank `pips` on the cuff or the shoulders ? any medal ribbons attached ?
best wishes ,Michael.

[leigh kitchen]

Possibly the insignia, or even the style of tunic etc.
The officer's name if present, combined with rank insignia may give an exact date or from - to date based on the Army Lists.
Those in the know may be able to date from the tailor's label.
Easiest thing would be to show photos or give detail of the insignia, sword hilt designs & engraving.

[Ian Hulley]

I'll get some pics and if someone would kindly post them for me maybe that'll help. The pips are browned brass and on the shoulders,the buttons have a King's crown with a horn suspended below it. The tunic seems to almost have 'tails' rather than the shorter cut of the RAF tunics,makes me wonder whether the Captain in question was mounted artillery. I have a feeling the items are from the inter-war years,there are no ribbons at all. The peaked cap has the R.A.badge in browned brass and the wheel doesn't turn.

Cheers,Ian.

[Guy]

Hi Ian,

Send me the pics if you like and I will post them for you. Marc Sherriff would be the boy to let you know what you have. Perhaps he will comment once the pictures are up.

Yours, Guy.

[Guy]

BTW, I know bugger all about artillery so I could be about to make an arse of my self but the buttons sound like Light Infantry which is interesting.

Yours, Guy

[Ian Hulley]

BTW, I know bugger all about artillery so I could be about to make an arse of my self but the buttons sound like Light Infantry which is interesting.

Yours, Guy

How do you think I feel I bought the bl%dy things

Thanks for the help guys,I'll take some pics tonight,it's a lovely evening ... just right for fertling round in the loft I've got quite a lot of assorted stuff to rid,I'll photo the lot and see who wants what.

Cheers,Ian.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Ian, I look forwards to seeing the pics. The loft on a hot day like today sounds fun

Sam Brown belts never seem to fetch a huge amount. £30 is an average price.


Cheers, Ade.

[Ian Hulley]

Hi Ade,I chickened out last night,opened the hatch and it was like a blast furnace up there

I'll get them done over the week-end and posted on Monday all being well.

Are Sam Brown's easy to date ? One of mine looks quite a bit older than the other and came with 2 cross straps a sword frog and leather canteen hanger,the other came with a pistol holster but no ammo pouch.

Cheers,Ian.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Ian, I thought that it might be hot up there


Sam Brown's I find very difficult to date? The basic design did not changed much over the years. Some Regt's had their own patterns which can help. But this is a subject I have not looked into in any great detail. Yours does sound like a WW1 example to be honest. By WW2 most of the add on's were not being worn, as Officers were wearing 1937 patern webbing like the OR's.
(I only have one myself which belonged to a late neighbor of mine. He was a Major. Quite a chap. Lied about his age to get into WW1. A new thread idea has just come into my head )

Cheers, Ade.

[Ian Hulley]

http://www.regimentals.co.uk/shop/vi...h=31436&phqu=1 there's the holster and sword hanger I've got and there's http://www.regimentals.co.uk/shop/vi...=20461d&phqu=5 the tunic,exactly the same tails and everything. Not very often I enter the mine-field that is Regimentals ... their website is poo,I normally get the old 'Page has Expired' notice. Wonder how much WW1 cap,tunic and trousers are ? They haven't got a full set.

Ian.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Ian, I forgot to add about the Service Dress jacket regulations in my previous post. The length of the "skirt" was 13 inch for an Officer 5 foot 9 inches in height. This will then vary in proportion according height. This is for a WW2 example.

Now you have seen Mr Fisher's wares at least you have some ideas on price. Caps always seem to be popular and sell well. Not sure on prices.


Cheers, Ade.

[SDF]

My memory is cloudy in this regard, but I was thinking that at some point in WWI the rank moved from being on the sleeve of the tunic to the shoulder? Or perhaps this was only for lower ranking field officers?

[leigh kitchen]

A system of vertical lines & trefoils was replaced in 1902 by the slash cuff & pips system, in the early 1920's this was replaced by the shoulder strap system.
Some officers apparently wore Other Ranks tunics with ranking on the shoulderstraps or no rank insignia in order to "blend in with crowd".
As an aside I read an article somewhere that quoted a German units fire order of 1914 as saying "shoot the men with the skinny knees" - ie the officers, who were wearing jodphurs.

[Marc Sherriff]

Officers Rank on the cuff or shoulder strap was optional from 1917.