Wiltshire Regiment, 5th British Division US Aid Battle Dress Blouse

[Loupie1961]

A recent addition, another BD blouse badged to a 5th Division formation, 2nd Wiltshire Regiment. Is a properly 1943 dated BD blouse of US War Aid production (the firm who produced it was seemingly run and owned by Italian immigrants!). Please notice the Battalion device sewn on the sleeve and the epaulette slip on worsted cloth title. The BD has been faced with khaki cloth in order to wear it with the open collar with a shirt and tie. Surely a "has been there" item.

[Jerry B]

Very nice example. The wearing of a shirt and tie for OR's was not authorised until late in the war and did not become common until the post war period. The Wilts slip on title was rarely seen after 43, as by then they used the sewn on cloth titles and it might have been added by the wartime owner after the war if he had kept them from earlier in the war, as I think they are unlikely to have been worn with the sewn on formation patch. Though anything is possible.

[Loupie1961]

Very nice example. The wearing of a shirt and tie for OR's was not authorised until late in the war and did not become common until the post war period. The Wilts slip on title was rarely seen after 43, as by then they used the sewn on cloth titles and it might have been added by the wartime owner after the war if he had kept them from earlier in the war, as I think they are unlikely to have been worn with the sewn on formation patch. Though anything is possible.

Jerry, you're absolutely right, and I must acknowledge that I have thought the same... as a matter of fact, the slip on titles were in the inner pocket of the BD blouse, therefore is very likely that the previous owner had kept them but did not wear them on the blouse. I have put them on the epaulettes just because they came with the BD!

[Jerry B]

I would have done the same and that makes most sense of them being with it.