WW1 British Private purchase Officers Tunic ???? not sure ....help required !!

**arrestingu** · 03-10-2014, 11:33 PM

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone could confirm my thoughts on this tunic ..thought maybe private purchase Officers ??? note football leather buttons which I believe are early ...arm band may be contempory or not with tunic ...
any advice appreciated
thanks
Steve

**douglas2496** · 03-10-2014, 11:42 PM

I dont think so. The construction of this tunic is unlike WW1 officers tunics (which were all private purchase and tailor made) and dosnt resemble the WW2 ones either. Most notably it has no belt hooks to support a Sam Browne belt, and the shoulder straps are very narrow to display officers isnignia. There are are no holes in the collar for the officers bronze collar insignia, and officers colars should not have the single button hole. This looks more like some kind of postwar enlisted mans service tunic.

**Jerry B** · 03-10-2014, 11:50 PM

Leather football buttons were still in use post WWII, so not early from them and the lack of a waist band never mind no change/keys mini pocket there make it well past 1930 or thereabouts. More likely to be WWII or perhaps even later. Better pics might help narrow it down, but not British WWI or WWII IMHO.

I am not even sure that it is British, as they don't usually have a button hole in the lapel and the lining does not look British, though I am comparing it with the half a dozen WWII period British examples I own,which applies to all my comments and might not apply to the dating of other nations examples.

**douglas2496** · 03-10-2014, 11:54 PM

Yes I agree with Jerry. I have a collection of British tunics and this dosn't match any of them, and I have no idea about the arm band. I'm going to say its postwar and not British, therefore its outside my area and I cant help.

**Nigel Lesgate** · 03-11-2014, 12:28 AM

It looks like something Lord Baden-Powell wore in the Boy Scouts. Not trying to be facetious.

**arrestingu** · 03-11-2014, 12:36 AM

Hi Nigel,
I agree ..just found a pic of him wearing the same circa 1930s ....appreciate everyones help !! thanks all !!

**Nigel Lesgate** · 03-11-2014, 12:43 AM

Great! My wife is related to him and so I've seen a bunch of shots of him in a variety of Scouting attire. Is the sleeveband Scout related?..... I noticed the fleur d'lis and that got me thinking.