Code: 53830
An original British Army Denim Battledress Blouse dated 1954 and in a size No. 4.
Introduced at the beginning of the Second World War as a replacement for the earlier fatigues issued in the Great War and inter-war periods, the design closely followed the serge Battledress introduced in 1940 but was made from denim and had removable buttons. This is a second pattern or 'austerity' version which does not feature the pleated pockets of the first pattern jacket.
The jacket is made from the standard denim material and features pockets to the chest. It is fitted with brown coloured revolving shank buttons, sometimes referred to as 'Bachelor' buttons. They are held on with brass split rings to the reverse allowing them to be removed when the garment is washed.
Inside the jacket the original label is still present and is still legible. The 1954 date is towards the bottom of the label as is the War Department broad arrow marking and various details relating to sizes.
The jacket is designed to fit a 37" to 39" chest and when laid flat the jacket measures -
Chest - 21 1/2"
Waist - 17"
Inside arm - 17 1/4"
Outside arm - 21 1/2"
Shoulders - 17 3/4"
The jacket is in good condition as can be seen in the pictures. It has signs of wear and use and has clearly been laundered and there is a small loss of stitching to the right breast pocket which is illustrated in picture 7. There is some minor staining etc but overall it is a very wearable jacket but is a vintage pre-worn item so may have small issues consummate with its age.
A nice original example of a Denim Blouse in good wearable condition.
