Unknown Tunic

[don_kihotis7]

Hi guys, i went in a local antique store today and found this item for 60 euros. It looks like a British tunic but has a label of a German maker
It has the date 1956 and it's named to a Greek-Cypriot ''Michael Andreas''.
There are evidence of removed insignia, loops on the shoulder boards and zig zag style stitches behind the collar.
If it had been used around 1956 then it could have been worn by an officer during the liberation struggle of EOKA against the British rule during 1955-1959. I said officer because there are traces of collar tabs and EM didn't have any.
Any help and thoughts would be much appreciated here guys.
Cheers

[bigmacglenn]

It's made in Lendelede, Belgium from what I see on the tag...
cheers, Glenn

[don_kihotis7]

It's made in Lendelede, Belgium from what I see on the tag...
cheers, Glenn

Hi Glenn thanks for the reply mate.
This is more confusing then, as the tag next to the Lendelede one says ''Bayer Leverkusen''.

[Jerry B]

Though also has a label from Bayer Leverkusen, an odd one as that is a German football team, maybe Belgian army 1950's, and no connection to Greece as far as I can see. The Belgians wore collar badges etc. In Belgian you can buy these for next to nothing as post war they have very little collector interest, certainly not when I visited flea marklets in Belgium and Holland, they were almost giving them away, sorry.

[don_kihotis7]

Though also has a label from Bayer Leverkusen, an odd one as that is a German football team, maybe Belgian army 1950's, and no connection to Greece as far as I can see. The Belgians wore collar badges etc. In Belgian you can buy these for next to nothing as post war they have very little collector interest, certainly not when I visited flea marklets in Belgium and Holland, they were almost giving them away, sorry.

Hi Jerry, thanks for the info. So it's weird indeed to have 2 labels of different locations. I am sure abroad you can get these ''with the cornflakes'' as my friend Harry would say but in Cyprus we don't have the luxury of finding military things let alone for cheap. I have a friend in Germany who got splinter pilot goggles with the metallic case in a flea market for 40 euros. These sell for 1300-1500 in the internet.

Anyway i knew i overpaid for it but it's an old tunic of a Cypriot guy and i tought to get it. The liberation forces during 1955-59 had no issued uniforms. They were partisans who were wearing anything they could find really. Even civilian clothes most of the times. That's why i assume it was used during that era coz we didn't have any official army at the time.
This variety regarding the uniforms was also happening during WWII in Greece. I found Greek uniforms which were Greek, Canadian, British, Australian and American made, just with the addition of Greek insignia sewn on.

[stuka f]

The fabric is German, the maker Belgian!
cheers
|<ris

[don_kihotis7]

The fabric is German, the maker Belgian!
cheers
|<ris

Ohhh, thanks Kris, that would make more sense.
Another possibility i just thought, is that the tunic could have also been worn later when the ''National Guard'' (Εθνική Φρουρά) was established in 1960 after Cyprus became an independent country.

[harryamb2]

I think its Belgium army,late forties early fifties Chris.

[HPL2008]

The fabric is German, the maker Belgian!

Not actually the fabric itself, only the moth protection worked into it:

The label refers to Eulan*. This is a brand name for an insecticide chemical compound (chlorphenylid) developed by said Bayer AG from Leverkusen, the well-known chemical/pharmaceutical company.

For many decades, Eulan was used to protect cloths and carpets against moths and bugs.

(Kris: I don't speak Flemish myself, but I assume "MOTECHT DOOR EULAN" means "MOTH PROOF BY EULAN", right?)

*) see: Chlorphenylid (German-language).
Coincidentally, the article informs us that the artificial word "Eulan" is derived from the Ancient Greek word eulé (εὐλή) for a maggot or worm.



(Oh, and the Bayer Leverkusen soccer team mentioned in post # 4 is named after the same company, which owns it.)

[KradSpam]

Great insight HP, enigma solved.