Tunic...what is it?

[Ron C.]

Adrian,

I decided to take a shot at it tonight......luckily found it in the first place I chose to look. This was send back by my ex-father-in-law, who served on Admiral King's staff in England during WW2. I never met him, as he died before I ever met my now deceased first wife. They told me that he said it was a Black Watch tunic, but I doubt that since the label says Cameronians (whatever that is). No other insignia was with it other than the single chevron.

What is it?

Thanks,
Ron

[yellow]

Your relative must of served in the Scottish Rifles, hence the rifle green jacket and blackened rifle regiment buttons.

Was he a regular soldier? The reason why I ask is because the NCO Sergeant stripes on the arm should be level with the top of the pocket. It seams that in some regiments if stripes were stitched on this manner the Regimental Sergeant Major would come along and rip them off! Whatever you do dont unpick them!

Nice tunic.

Steve.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Ron, I that jacket! This will be a scarce item.

The Cameronians were also known as the "Scottish Rifles" as Steve has correctly pointed out. A very famous Regt. I have the personal effects of a Capt from that unit in my collection. Col. John Frost of "Arnhem Bridge" fame came from this Regt.

Rifle Regts traditionally wore green. This practise dates back to Napoleonic times. Black buttons were worn too. One of the very first camoflauge uniforms.

Cheers, Ade.

[leigh kitchen]

Disbanded 1969, like the Yorks & Lancs, when the training brigades system came in, & like the Yorks & Lancs this is always stated to be because they refused to amalgamate.

I've just been dipping into a book on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, by Simon Winchester - there's a description of the sort of problems Colonels of Regiments faced at the time, & it could simply have been that these two regiments lost out in terms of their Colonels being out-manouevered & having viable recruiting pools at a time when disbandments & amalgamations were required?
I may be wrong there.

These jackets may not be so scarce, tho' there not hanging on trees - Full Dress was still being used from pre WWI, the 20's, the 30's etc in the late 70's, & when the Cameronians were disbanded in 1969 a fair amount of stores may have come onto the market.

[Ron C.]

Your relative must of served in the Scottish Rifles, hence the rifle green jacket and blackened rifle regiment buttons.

Was he a regular soldier? The reason why I ask is because the NCO Sergeant stripes on the arm should be level with the top of the pocket. It seams that in some regiments if stripes were stitched on this manner the Regimental Sergeant Major would come along and rip them off! Whatever you do dont unpick them!

Nice tunic.

Steve.

Steve,

No. Sorry, if it came out like it was his personal tunic. He was my first wife's father, and he died before I ever met her....so I never got to talk with him. He was in the U.S. Navy in WW2, and served as a member of U.S. Naval Admiral King's HQ somewhere in England. I had what was left of his own personal military insignia and other effects at one time, but I believe I gave it to my first wife after we were divorced. I do not know what happened to it after she died. This tunic was in the possession of my former mother-in-law, and was in her estate sale after her death. I went to the sale, and this tunic was pulled out of the sale by my ex-wife, along with his Certificate of Neptune, and given to me. It was just something that he had obtained when he was in England, and sent home. I don't really know anything about how he obtained it, and there is nobody left alive in his family to ask about it. I remember his widow telling me once that there was one or two caps with it, but that she liked them and had worn them herself a lot; however, they were not in the stuff at her estate sale and I don't know what may have become of them. His only living relative is my daughter, whom he, of course, never met. She is now 41 years old, and has no interest in having it with her at present.......but I thought one day she might want it, and his Neptune Certificate, since they were things of her grandfather's.....so I have been keeping them back for her.

Thank you for the information, and I won't do anything with the stripe. By the way is it missing a stripe from the other sleeve? I can't see any signs of anything having been there. There are no cuff buttons and I can't tell if there were any. I can see no holes or other signs of insignia having been on the collar, but there are holes in each of the shoulder straps like some badges were there once, but they were not with the tunic so I don't know what they were.

Thanks,
Ron

[yellow]

Ron.........one stripe is correct. Perhaps look out for some period OR Scottish Rifles collars to go on this tunic? You should be able to buy a pair for about 12 dollars.

Steve.

[Ron C.]

Ron.........one stripe is correct.

Steve.

Thanks,
Ron

[uscob]

Ron.........one stripe is correct. Perhaps look out for some period OR Scottish Rifles collars to go on this tunic? You should be able to buy a pair for about 12 dollars.

Steve.

Please let me know where I get them.
Nico