British & commonwealth tunic collection

[Bond]

My small collection.

Jerry

[Seaforth72]

Look for the tailor's labels, names and regimental numbers

Nice assembly. I certainly encourage you to try to get the name and service details of the service person whenever possible. Luckily some service personnel marked their uniforms.

On some tunics and coats, especially those of officers, one finds the tailor's label with the name of the person it was made for. This sometimes includes a date and their rank. The tailor's label is often hidden inside an interior breast pocket - especially on officers' service dress tunics.

A local (Vancouver BC Canada area) air force collector purchased some of Air Vice Marshall Collishaw's between the world wars uniforms. The name was in them. Collishaw had 60 official victories in WWI and one in Russia. He was one of the top aces.

Sometimes one has pleasant surprises. While running the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum and Archives (which I started in 1972), I examined an officer's greatcoat in the collection. It was unusually badged. Rank had been removed but it had the maroon 5th Canadian Armoured Division patches. (Seaforths were in the 1st Canadian Infantry Division). Sewn over top of these was the small Canadian Army Pacific Force patches. The tailor's label told me whose it was. General Bert Hoffmeister's! He was General Officer Commanding BOTH formations! He was also a former Seaforth.

In another case I obtained for my own collection two tunics (one Battledress and one Service Dress) for a Lieutenant in the 2nd Bn., South Staffordshire Regiment. Both originated from the same source in Chilliwack. One was named (multiple times) and my research indicates they are from the same man. He was a CANLOAN officer to the British and served at Arnhem where he was severely wounded and taken prisoner. Lieut. James S. Erskine. Born in Vancouver, BC, Died in Chilliwack, BC.

Just before I retired from museums last year (2011) I obtained three uniforms of Sgt. Smokey Smith, V.C. from the family for three museums (Seaforth of C.; Black Watch Canada and the museum of the City of New Westminster - his home town) I noted that other names appeared on some of the tailor's labels so I documented this carefully. Even Smokey wore recycled uniforms!

[Bond]

Thanks

3 of them have names associated with them and I have been able to trace their history, or some of it.

The 2nd KD is named to an officer in the Royal Indian Army Service corps and an extensive account of his service was recorded by the Imperial War museum.

The 3rd KD came with items named to an MC winner with the 8th Hussars from Korea and were said to have purchased from his daughter.

The SD is named to a Lt from the Royal Signals.