Anyone know what this tunic is?

[Bill D.]

It is a highland regiment doublet.

But for what regiment?

The buttons are brass, with the seal of Great Britain upon them. They bear the backmark of a London maker.

[Bill D.]

The interior broad arrrow markings. I'm thinking World War I period, perhaps.

[leigh kitchen]

Blue facings, so a "royal" regiment, only royal highland regiment that I can think of without thinking hard, is the Royal Highlanders - Black Watch, but there's the lowland regiment of the Royal Scots, & also the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. Think that the black watch collar dog has "always" ( as in for a long time rather than always) been a small St Andrew & Cross in white metal. Then again, I think that the collar dog of the Royal Scots is a similar design, can't remember. The KOSB'a was & is a small white metal three turret castle, so if it's had collar dogs fitted, check the "ghosts". Check the crowns on the general service buttons - "big flat topped ears" are Queen Victoria period, a rounded, domed crown is post Victoria - circa 1952 (& I was wearing them on a cape issued in 1976). The buttons are extremely common & cheap, & the collar dogs only cost a few quid. Might be a colonial Scottish Regiment. And now I'm thinking maybe the Cameron Highlanders, whose collar dog was St Andrew & the cross? I'm confusing myself now........ some body'll know.
Full dress went out in 1914 for the majority of the Brit army, but continued to be referred to in officer's dress regs etc, & was dug out of stores & issued for decades after. I had a pair of Royal Fusilier trousers manufactured in 1922 & still on issue in the late '70's, & Fusilier busbys dated 1913 were still being worn in the late '70's. Is there no paper label giving size & date details inside? The experts will no doubt comment on date of the item based on the lining etc.

[NavyFCO]

I can't be of too much help Bill, but Leigh brings up a question I've had for a while, which does partially apply to this doublet.

Were these uniforms what we consider "organizational clothing"? Basically, were they issued by the unit, and then remained with the unit, or were they actually purchased/issued to the individual soldier, allowing them to keep it upon discharge?

I ask this because, back in the late 1980's, there seemed to be a flood of these jackets on the market. Both the doublets and the single-breasted tunics. Nearly all of them were from units like the Scots Guards, Irish Guards, etc., and they all seemed to date from the pre-WW1 through pre-WW2 time period. In fact, I remember one militaria cataloge selling British dress tunics dated 1890-something back in the early 1990's for around $40 each.

It seemed strange to me at the time, and still does, that all of the vets would sell their uniforms all at the same time. Thus, my theory is that the British government "dumped" all their dress uniforms as surplus sometime in the late 80's. Does anyone know if that was the case?

Thanks for reading!

--Dave

[Tony Farrell]

Dress tunics are constantly being dumped as 'surplus' - usually after the storeman has slashed them to buggery. Tunics used to be private purchase in the mid-to late 19th century, but were on issue after that - so's Mr. Atkins couldn't pawn 'his' tunic. The tunic in question is Royal Scots by the way.

[Bill D.]

Tony...
Thanks very much!!!
I appreciate all of the help from everyone!
By the way...anyone know where I might find an older set of Royal Scotts collar insignia?

[Tony Farrell]

http://www.kellybadge.co.uk/ springs instantly to mind. He does buttons too (small ones for the pockets, and medium for the cuff turn backs by the way) GS buttons'll do the trick. It'll look nice on a dummy with a medal group.

[Bill D.]

Thanks, Tony!

But just to make certain: "The Royal Scots" IS different from the "Royal Scots Fusiliers" isn't it? I have been searching the web since your earlier post. I found the seller you mentioned, but some sites seem to treat these two egiments (if they are two) as one in the same.

[leigh kitchen]

Apart from MOD clearing house periodically there are sudden appearances of uniforms specific to certain regiments every now & then - eg a few years ago battalions of some of the Guards regiments were disbanded, resulting in tunics, bearskins etc being released on the market.

The Royal Scots (Lowland Regt) are still around, 'tho when I had dealings with them in Bosnia a few years ago they needed a company of Ghurkas to keep them up to strength. They were the pre 1881 1st of Foot (alias "Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard", "the fust & tha wust", etc). The Royal Scots Fusiliers were the old pre 1881 21st of foot, they amalgamated in the '50's with the Highland Light Infantry to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers. An interesting concept - the amalgamation of Highland & Lowland Regiments into a Highland Regiment which uses as its central badge device the initials of the HLI.

Check the manufacturers marks on the backs of the buttons & even those may help date the tunic, depending on the combination of names or "& Sons" etc.

[leigh kitchen]

.......The tunic in question is Royal Scots by the way.

Not arguing, but how is the doublet unique to the Royal Scots, & not possibly a Black Watch, RSF etc? Is there a combination of facings & features that limits it to RS?

[Tony Farrell]

In fact, the more I think about it, it could be RSF. Anyhow, it's one or the other. It isn't Black Watch, as they ceased using red in the late 1880s. Oh bollocks, I don't know really - I'm making this up. I want my ball back and I'm going home.