Need info of RTR pre-war tank crew BLACK battledress !!

[localunit]

info of the Royal Tank Regiment pre war (1935-1940) Black battledress, both tunic & trousers, any info Welcome, text, photo, drawing...e.g.... Many Thanks!!!!!

[max7474]

Black BD was not RTR but rather Civil Defence - think air raid wardens.

[o.g-palmer]

I think localunit is referring to the early war black denims, unfortunately I don’t have anything on them apart from a small photo in an osprey book.

Would love to know a bit more about them myself.

[leigh kitchen]

The RTR two-piece black denims were introduced in 1935 (ACI 120 for week ending 1/5/35) as working dress for AFV crews. It was similar to the later Battle Dress, but the collar was a small upright one, rounded at the front opening & fastened by brass hooks & eyes.
The introduction of Battle Dress ended the issue of the black denims, which themselves had replaced the brown drill overalls as stocks ran out. The black denims had 6 x dished brass buttons concealed by a fly front, & the breast pockets were also fly fronted. The sholder straps had concealed buttons, as did the cuffs.
The trousers legs were cut long & had brass buckled bands at the ends of the legs so that the trousers could be fastened over the neck of the boots & bloused over them. The thigh pocket had a concealed button as did the single hip pocket.
Wartime economy resulted in the denim & the serge versions of Battle Dress being issued to recruits to the RTR & for maintenance & general wear in tanks, the black suits may have had to be handed in to stores, but some individuals kept them for maintenance work only, throughout the war.

One often reads that the black suit, usually referred to as black overalls & not specified as a two piece suit rather than one piece garment, being replaced soon after the beginning of WWI as British RTR men were liable to be mistaken by their owwn side for German panzer men, but I don't know if there's any truth in this.

British Army Uniforms & Insignia of World War Two by Brian Leigh Davies (Arms & Armour) has a photo of a coporal wearing the black suit, The British Army 1939-45 (1) (Osprey has a colour illustration of a Troper of 4 RTR, HQ, France, 1939/40 wearing it.

[Adrian Stevenson]

There is a nice example of one of these in the Tank Museum, but sadly I don't have a pic to share.

Cheers, Ade.

[localunit]

The trousers legs were cut long & had brass buckled bands at the ends of the legs so that the trousers could be fastened over the neck of the boots & bloused over them. The thigh pocket had a concealed button as did the single hip pocket.

I have picture in my mind what the tunic look like after I study many info pieces by pieces, but the most I wanted to know is what the trousers look like! I still don't know what & how the trousers leg's buckle work. anyone could tell me?

[mietek]

Black (dyed) BD were also given to POW.