Scots Guards dress tunic

[Kateri]

Whatever back
Thanks for commenting on the tunic.
Hope to see your signature again
Andrew Barron

[Jerry B]

and an example of a stick on paper label

[Kateri]

Double post sorry

[Watchdog]

I think the ink stamp along the edge says 2 S G meaning 2nd Battalion Scots Guard? Below that I think is a service number

Totally correct. 2SG does denote 2nd Bn Scots Guards and the other mark is in fact the owners Regimental or Service number. It is an eight digit personal / unique number which for the period would start with a 2 and in this case ends in 337. It has long been the practice in the British Army to suffix the last two or three digits to a soldiers name (especially a common name like Smith or Jones) as an additional identifier. For instance I once served with Smith 01, Smith 19, and Smith 32 all in a group of about 20 soldiers and that is how they were known to their immediate peers. In really close circles such as section level two Smiths might simply be known as "01" or "19". Confuses the hell out of an outsider when he is told in response to a question "I dunno, you'd better ask 01 about that" This is still particularly prevalent in the Guards Regiments where many traditions, habits and practices persist that have fallen out of use elsewhere.

Anyway, I digress. Nice tunic indeed and the missing button should not be hard to find as long as you make sure you seek out the right size!

The belt looks good too. They are made of thick unfinished "Buff" leather which is whitened individually by the soldier. The current issue items used by the Guards are absolutely identical and I don't recall seeing a dated one. That doesn't mean they were never dated but it is likely inconsistent or the makings disappear in use. The one you show is missing the leather tongue that sits behind the locket (buckle) but that is not surprising because in use the owner would have cut a piece out of the slot that slides over the belt itself to make fittnig it back on the belt after whitening possible without scraping the nice new parade ready finish.

See pic of my "Grenadier" for reference.




It can easily be replaced with an item from a brand new belt which when whitened will be impossible to tell apart. The locket being brass would be highly burnished to the point where detail begins to errode and it is really subjective as to at what point it is so erroded that the locket is considered "unsoldierly" and has to be replaced because the unit insignia is no longer discerible. The one on your belt does not appear to have suffered much polishing at all. The locket patterns remain the same to this day and regardless of age some are marked and some not. Some have a makers name, some a broad arrow, some a year stamp and I have even seen them with all three. There are slight manufactures differences usually in the overall shape of the belt slots but I don't feel that makes enough difference to warrant calling them "variants". You will of course now need a buff bayonet frog which is the same item for the 1907, No4 spike, No7, No9 and SLR bayonets which only changed when the SA80 rifle came into service. The frog, like the belt tongue will also have a piece cut from it above the scabbard stud hole for the same reason. The white rifle sling would be a '37 patt made in white rather than khaki right up to the SA80 coming in. Prior to '37 it would be a buff leather item like the belt and these too are to be found on the market today.

Do you intend to add a bearskin? They are all the same and the plumes are interchangeable, the bearskin is made with a pocket on both sides but the Scots Guards do not wear one. Another thing to note that catches some people out is that if you add a forage (visor) cap the Scots Guards do not have the chinstrap and buttons.

Well, that's quite a lot just to say "Nice tunic" but I hope it is of some use

If I see a spare button around I will keep you in mind

Regards

Mark