KD Bush Jacket

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

First post of an acquisition in a rather long time. This one being a Khaki Drill bush jacket, with a matching belt. This one shows signs of combat use, but is otherwise complete barring the shoulder and collar insignia, which has been removed. The original sergeant's stripes remain in place. I understand that regimental insignia was sometimes removed or simply not worn at all, while rank insignia was always present.

All buttons are there and well-attached. The shoulder boards are both present. There is no tailor's label unfortunately, meaning it can't be nailed to a specific year, but I'm confident it is of World War II pattern. There are also some odd markings on both the jacket and belt that I am unable to comprehend.

A nice little pickup for not too much money.

Regards, B.B.

[Jb4046]

Didnt know next had these in stock

A pretty cool jacket. I have been wanting to get a uniform/clothing of sorts to make a display at some point. I searched 508 to see the significance of it and it came up with levi kahki jeans. Is there a connection with 508 and khaki in general?

[BrodieBartfast]

Didnt know next had these in stock

A pretty cool jacket. I have been wanting to get a uniform/clothing of sorts to make a display at some point. I searched 508 to see the significance of it and it came up with levi kahki jeans. Is there a connection with 508 and khaki in general?

Perhaps. I think it's more likely it's either the soldier's service number or an identity number for the garment itself, the latter being more likely. It seems far too short for a service number.

If you're looking to get into uniform items, these Khaki Drill pieces seem to be quite affordable depending on where you get them from. The same is true for most British pieces. As soon as you add regimental insignia to uniforms, however, their prices skyrocket. I've been looking for a tunic from the same regiment my great grandfather was in, and have had no luck so far. It seems to be far more common to encounter British battledress with the insignia long removed.

B.B.

[Watchdog]

[QUOTE=BrodieBartfast;1834216] It seems far too short for a service number.[QUOTE]

I would say with 99.9% certainty that it is the last three digits of the soldiers regimental / service number. It has been standard British Army practice for over a hundred years to add the last two, three or four digits of the number as a suffix to the surname on everything from nominal rolls to personal kit as a means of identification. This is especially prevalent in units with many soldiers with the same surname eg; Welsh units with Smith, Jones etc or Scots units with McDonald or Campbell but totally standard accross the board. All my kit was marked 0737.

As for the unidentified marks these are very likely a soldiers own personal "mark" that only he would recognise or be able to replicate. An additional identification / security mark a bit like a signature.

BTW what unit was your Great Grandfather in? You never know what any of us might turn up.

Regards

Mark

[BrodieBartfast]

[QUOTE=Watchdog;1834255][QUOTE=BrodieBartfast;1834216] It seems far too short for a service number.

I would say with 99.9% certainty that it is the last three digits of the soldiers regimental / service number. It has been standard British Army practice for over a hundred years to add the last two, three or four digits of the number as a suffix to the surname on everything from nominal rolls to personal kit as a means of identification. This is especially prevalent in units with many soldiers with the same surname eg; Welsh units with Smith, Jones etc or Scots units with McDonald or Campbell but totally standard accross the board. All my kit was marked 0737.

As for the unidentified marks these are very likely a soldiers own personal "mark" that only he would recognise or be able to replicate. An additional identification / security mark a bit like a signature.

BTW what unit was your Great Grandfather in? You never know what any of us might turn up.

Regards

Mark

Thank you for all the information. I'll have to dig through some war records and see what I can find. Having a surname as well as the last three digits of his service number should make it fairly easy to track the soldier down.

My great grandfather was in the 2nd Battalion, King's Regiment. He went through North Africa, Italy, was present at the final battle of Monte Cassino, and ended up in Greece as part of the restoration efforts during the civil war. At war's end he held the rank of Corporal.
He spent a couple of years after the war in the BAOR. I unfortunately don't know any of the fine details about that, as he passed before I was born.
Thus my fascination with KD/Mediterranean gear. A flashed helmet with the King's regimental badge would be my holy grail. I've already dug up a couple of shoulder titles and a cigarette card, but that's it.

My great grandfather on the other side was also in North Africa, and according to my grandmother brought back an Afrika Korps cap. I unfortunately know nothing more than that, as nothing from his war service made it down to me. I suspect most of it was pinched, along with the cap.

B.B.

[Watchdog]

[QUOTE=BrodieBartfast;1834257]
My great grandfather was in the 2nd Battalion, King's Regiment. [QUOTE]

The "Kingos" eh? a fine regiment "The Kings Regiment (Liverpool) as it was then was amalgamated post war (1958) with the Manchester Regt to form the Kings Regiment (Liverpool and Manchester) which used the abbreviation "KINGS". Another of those units in the British Army that uses a different title for the rank of Private (Pte) soldier, in this case Kingsman (Kgn). This was officially recognised in 1951 but was in use from the 19th century at least. They were further amalgamated in 2004 with The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment (KINGS OWN BORDER) and The Queens Lancashire Regiment (QLR) to form The Duke of Lancasters' Regiment (LANCS). The Kingos became the 2nd Bn. The LANCS still use the title Kingsman.

This is all post war of course and after your great grandfathers time but I hope it is still of interest.

Let us know what items in particular you are seeking (the helmet might be a bit of a stretch!!!) from the Kings. A thousand eyes are better than two!

Regards

Mark

[BrodieBartfast]

[QUOTE=Watchdog;1834394][QUOTE=BrodieBartfast;1834257]
My great grandfather was in the 2nd Battalion, King's Regiment.

The "Kingos" eh? a fine regiment "The Kings Regiment (Liverpool) as it was then was amalgamated post war (1958) with the Manchester Regt to form the Kings Regiment (Liverpool and Manchester) which used the abbreviation "KINGS". Another of those units in the British Army that uses a different title for the rank of Private (Pte) soldier, in this case Kingsman (Kgn). This was officially recognised in 1951 but was in use from the 19th century at least. They were further amalgamated in 2004 with The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment (KINGS OWN BORDER) and The Queens Lancashire Regiment (QLR) to form The Duke of Lancasters' Regiment (LANCS). The Kingos became the 2nd Bn. The LANCS still use the title Kingsman.

This is all post war of course and after your great grandfathers time but I hope it is still of interest.

Let us know what items in particular you are seeking (the helmet might be a bit of a stretch!!!) from the Kings. A thousand eyes are better than two!

Regards

Mark

Thanks for the further information. I'm always happy to learn about the history of the regiment, even postwar. It's part of my family's legacy, so to speak.

In regards to specific items, pretty much anything that can be attributed to the King's will be of interest to me. A helmet or tunic would be on the top of my list, followed by medal groups to soldiers who served in the regiment. After that, anything goes. Paperwork, cap badges, cloth insignia. Preferably of WWII vintage.

Regards, B.B.