Canadian battledress

[HOLMZEY]

Hi picked this canadian battledress up yesterday .what do you think please.and the trousers dated 1944 .holmzey

[HOLMZEY]

Pic 2

Pic 2

[HOLMZEY]

Pick 3

Pick 3

[HOLMZEY]

Pic4

Pic4

[HOLMZEY]

Feed back

WHAT DO YOU THINK GUYS

[peter monahan]

This is NOT a comment on authenticity - I'm not up on WWII tunics, but has anyone else ever seen a division/brigade patch on the epaulet like that? new to me.

Peter

[HOLMZEY]

More items

Hello these are more items that came with the uniform .I do know he was captured by the germans in italy .i am awaiting some more items soon.Ive also got his small pack and kit bag aswell.

[HOLMZEY]

pick 2

pick2

[Bond]

This is NOT a comment on authenticity - I'm not up on WWII tunics, but has anyone else ever seen a division/brigade patch on the epaulet like that? new to me.

Peter

Only as a slip on. These look to be hand sewn whilst the other insignia looks machine sewn.


This one on ebay has the same placement, but not what I would expect on a BD.

Also this book has it on a tropical shirt. Maybe it's a Candian thing.

[HOLMZEY]

uniform

Hi this group came out of a house clearence up the north of england.

[force136]

Army Patches on Epaulettes

It was common practice for Canadian units to sew the 8th Army patch on the epaulette. Sometimes they had only one or two. I have also seen 21st AG on the epaulette as well as 2nd Army. There are quite a few photos of this and some shots of 1st Cdn Corps men arriving in the UK from Italy as well as them going home to Canada wearing patches in this fashion. I have had several BD like this direct from vets. A really nice one to a PPCLI vet from Manitoba, identical placement of the Army patch.

Ken

Hi this group came out of a house clearence up the north of england.

[Grizzly]

The 8th Army patch was particularly important to the Canadians who had served with 1 Cdn Corps in "sunny Italy". After Op Goldflake, 1 Cdn Corps had been transferred to NW Europe, and came under the more "officious" policies of First Canadian Army. 1 Cdn Corps units were required to follow the policies and practices laid down in that theatre. 1 Cdn Corps vets were chagrined that their efforts in Sicily and Italy were not apparently recognized and the reputation they had earned with the 8th Army was ignored. At the end of hostilities, with lessening control on dress practices, many vets of 1 Cdn Corps showed their association with the famous 8th Army by wearing their patch on the epaulet. This was an unauthorized practice, as Canadian regulations clearly stated only one formation patch was to be worn.
As Ken notes, the practice spread and tunics had other formation patches added to the epaulet. I have also had several tunics with the 8th Army patch sewn on the shoulder strap.

[peter monahan]

Thanks, Ken and Grizzly. Always happy to learn more about what our lads did and wore 'over there'. I hadn't really thought about the fact that many of the survivng tunics would be walking out/demob. items, so perhaps bulled up a bit with extra badges, tailoring and so on.

This is beginning to look like a really nice little trove, Holmzey. Nice find!

Peter

[pete]

.

Cape Bretoners are good people to serve with, a very tight knit bunch and especially when a direct Cape Breton reserve unit and you get all "Capers" together! Nice to see this tunic, much more then a Badge on a BD to me.


Pete

[Grizzly]

hi Peter, From our perspective today, we have to remember that most uniforms we see are the "walking out" or coming home tunics, not the everyday tunic, and almost definitely not a field service tunic. In most cases field tunics were withdrawn and destroyed or ragged. A vendor that advertises a blouse as D-Day or "from the battlefield" is just maximizing his marketing.