Wearing service kit

Sorry peeps but not BAOR again but there is nowhere on the site for just general stuff.

Just been up to my local shops and saw a long haired scruffy looking guy wearing an RAF number two jacket complete with all badges. He was wearing three stripes with a shiney crown over them. Can't remember is that a flight sergeant or something like that?

Am I wrong in thinking it is illegal to be wearing badges of rank that you are not entitled to? Had there been a copper about I would have asked him/her but as usual there wasn't.

It annoys me that guys are putting their lives on the line yet this bloke can parade around in this. Okay he isn't trying to fool anyone into thinking he is forces but it gets to me all the same.

There was a lot of that in the 60's as well teabag, it was fashionable to wear uniforms then as well. That and greatcoats for some reason.

yes,all the hippies and walter mittys dressed to the nines,and remember what happened when you went to the storeman for kit,he used to snigger at the the same time as getting you to sign a p1954,or "we havent got any"

Remember the Sergeant Pepper type stuff but this was genuine and looked like it had just come out of someones locker. The only decent looking thing he was wearing to be honest.

Teabag wrote:

Sorry peeps but not BAOR again but there is nowhere on the site for just general stuff.

Just been up to my local shops and saw a long haired scruffy looking guy wearing an RAF number two jacket complete with all badges. He was wearing three stripes with a shiney crown over them. Can't remember is that a flight sergeant or something like that?

Am I wrong in thinking it is illegal to be wearing badges of rank that you are not entitled to? Had there been a copper about I would have asked him/her but as usual there wasn't.

It annoys me that guys are putting their lives on the line yet this bloke can parade around in this. Okay he isn't trying to fool anyone into thinking he is forces but it gets to me all the same.

I believe it is illegal to wear badges of rank and other insignia one is not entitled to. It is certainly disrespectful.

My dad, a died-in-the-wool career Army type and a military historian to boot would always, very politely, approach some "kid" wearing such kit and point out to him that while it was fine to wear the jacket, great coat, whatever, he perhaps should remove the stripes, badges, flashes, etc. and explained why.

Back then (70s) he was almost always met with an apology. My guess now he would be met with anything but! Probably a stream of abuse.

I always found it ironic that in the 60s and 70s so many "hippies" wore surplus military uniforms given their pacifist/anti-military leanings. If one has a military fetish, well....then I can understand wearing something, but as an anti-war/anti-establishment/anti-military-industrial complex type, why would they wear anything remotely connected to it??

I don`t know what all the fuss is about.He obviously wasn`t a serviceman or trying to impersonate one,so there is nowt illegal in that,
.However.If he had been a Walter Mitty type with the full regalia..Throw the book at him.

I still wear an old BD jacket when working in the garden in winter.Still has titles.1 corps flash, trade badge,and chevrons.Am i for the fireing squad Teabag

Gordon. wrote:

I don`t know what all the fuss is about.He obviously wasn`t a serviceman or trying to impersonate one,so there is nowt illegal in that,
.However.If he had been a Walter Mitty type with the full regalia..Throw the book at him.

I still wear an old BD jacket when working in the garden in winter.Still has titles.1 corps flash, trade badge,and chevrons.Am i for the fireing squad Teabag

No but you put the time in, he never. It's just something that annoys me and I think is disrespectful. Battle dress, what's that?

Teabag wrote:

Just been up to my local shops and saw a long haired scruffy looking guy wearing an RAF number two jacket complete with all badges. He was wearing three stripes with a shiney crown over them. Can't remember is that a flight sergeant or something like that?

There's a retro clothes shop (in reality is a second hand shop ) in the Grassmarket Edinburgh. Basically you can buy clothes from the 1950s right through to now. I was in there at the back end of last year they had on sale the old type Army No2s the heavy wool ones, No2s RAF and a Blues & Royals Great coat as well as ex Army Kilts & Trews and all sorts of bits n bobs .

Hey, I remeber Battle dress, only from the CCF mind.

Here you go boys and girls ... Battle Dress (1966).
Pretty Boy wasn't I.

Len (Ciphers)

Very smart Len, were you wearing weights?

No Jim, elastics, did the same job and didn't get the RSM on your case ..

Len (Ciphers)

Weights and elastics Jim, they won't know what you mean.

Mikey wrote:

Weights and elastics Jim, they won't know what you mean.

I know what he means but I do read a lot. Ooh look a real rifle.

jim wrote:

Hey, I remeber Battle dress, only from the CCF mind.

Was issued Battle Dress when I joined the Army at Harrogate.

I actually still had the trousers when I was demobbed, to the great puzzlement of the civvy storeman.

"Trousers Barrack Dress" he said.
"You've already got them, on the floor over there!" says I.
"Well there's another pair on your 1157, look here - Trousers BD"

Mike

Gordon. wrote:

I don`t know what all the fuss is about.He obviously wasn`t a serviceman or trying to impersonate one,so there is nowt illegal in that,
.However.If he had been a Walter Mitty type with the full regalia..Throw the book at him.

I still wear an old BD jacket when working in the garden in winter.Still has titles.1 corps flash, trade badge,and chevrons.Am i for the fireing squad Teabag

I think the fuss is about wearing insignia to which he was not entitled. But as has been said this was a big thing in the '60s and early '70s, although I could never see the attraction in paying for and wearing a greatcoat. RAF ones seemed to be the most popular.

Like you I still have a grot green combat jacket that I wear for much the same thing as you. It still has the Div flashes on both sleeves but not the tapes, although you can see where they were.

Mike

Quote :

Battle Dress (1966).

What backwater were you in in 66 Len? I thought BD had long gone by then...

Gordon. wrote:

Quote :

Battle Dress (1966).

What backwater were you in in 66 Len? I thought BD had long gone by then...

Can't speak for Len, but I was issued BD as an A/T in 1966, complete with 37 pattern webbing that we had to blanco.

Mike

Hate to say it but we were issued with BD and 37 pattern webbing in RAMC App Coll in 1970! In fact when I went to my first unit in 1973 I had to buy 58 pattern webbing! It did come to us on issue at the end of 73. I still remember tring to get razor creases on the BD!

I JOINED JAN 1963 BOY SERVICE ISSUED WITH SDs COMBATS AND No2s NO BDs JAN 1964 IN THE REGs STILL NO BDs MAYBE I WAS LUCKY NO BOCKED PLEATS etc.

No BD but in basic training we did get 37 pattern webbing and worst of all the respirator which wouldn't have stopped you smelling a fart. Lots of fun in the gas hut trying them out, NOT!

Blanco? We had to scrub our belts white (ha). I can remember having to blacken it somewhere and at another time we did manage to blanco it. Happy days?

I FOUND A GOOD WAY OF SHINING A BRASS CAP BADGE WAS TO BUFF IT WITH A DRY USED BLANCO ( KARKI ) BRUSH WORKED A TREAT.

I just had a re-thunk, and it was 1964 that photo was taken, just after it I was promoted and at that time was issued with the new uniform, or No 2 Dress as we called it.

Bloody Backwater indeed, why I, I, I, etc

Len (Ciphers)

No2s hilden naffi plus amstell 1964-65
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I had No2 dress issued in 62 and a second in 64 when BD was withdrawn.That was 7 Sigs

At Harrogate 59 -61 We had SD and SD caps plus plus 37 pattern webbing.We also had leather belts which had to be whitened.Most of these belts had the end cut off and was used to rub down brass badges.
The runners of Web belts were flattend and buffed in the same manner
Hardboard was very popular for squaring packs and bed blocks
Any ex brat or JL probably had much of the same

Pure Bull sH&T