Signals thing?

The service dress cap - (Hat No1 etc). Using a long hard brush and again soap and make a big circle on top to make it looked brushed in a circular way - I always looked smart as a carrot in No2s - My boots were beeswaxed and I did my own tailoring!!!

NEVER got picked up in 2s!

Dabbed 'Clear' onto the elbows and shoulder pads of my jersey - then ironed it - exceedingly smart.

Oh the days, now all I press is my uniform shirt...

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it looked brushed in a circular way

I did mine in quarters,no soap just water.

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wrap the magazine or newspaper around your ankles

Yes it looked smart but was most uncomfortable..BD could be a very smart uniform,but i was quite happy to move onto No2s,apart from the twat hat

Ice lolly stick behind the cap badge on No 2 Dress hat, cut out cardboard in breast pockets, normally from a Herfi box - we knew how to live in those days!

Shelldrake wrote:

Ice lolly stick behind the cap badge on No 2 Dress hat, cut out cardboard in breast pockets, normally from a Herfi box - we knew how to live in those days!

In my day, Shelldrake, what you describe behind the cap badge, originated with the Caps, SD. We called that a "log" and was subject to terrible persecution at Hereford.

Coming from a Junior Leaders background, I would suggest that this subject moves to a thread of its own. (Shelldrake old bean, I suspect you might be an
"Ex-Boy" too !).There was much bullshit in those days, most of it totally deranged. Imagine buying your own Emery cloth because you were required to burnish the toe and heelplates of your best boots !

Cardboard in breast pockets ? What ! ??

Cardboard in breast pocket???No way.
Piece of a wooden ruler was used on SD cap plus a nick at each side of the peak with a razor blade,to give the guards effect..Now that was a sin big time if detected,which it usually was.and merited a trip to the QMs for a new cap.

Shelldrake wrote:

In 1967 I was in BMH Iserlohn having my Appendix removed, it was a four man ward. In the bed opposite me was a Canadian soldier who had been involved in a RTA. His main problem was that he had been wearing weights and the impact had pushed the weights in to his shins with such force that he almost lost his feet, I never wore weights after that. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but I think the Canadian Army were issued with them, they were a sort of U shape with a small chain around the back. Martin, those "Elastics" that you are talking about were freely available in the PX, back in the day, we used to nick the elastic that held our wives stockings up!!

Nope definitely no. They weren't an issue item. The ones you describe sound to be home made. We could buy weights in the Maple Leaf Store (later Canex)they were rounded lead slugs in an elastic cotton tube, some fella's squared them off with coat hanger wire and friction tape. Also an item we called bird cages to put in our bush hats to give them a neat rounded look with a piece of coat hanger wire in the brim to give it a trim look. Also a , " spiffy", a small wire device with springs to put under the tie and collar tips to give the collar a trim look. also purchased in Cannex. I have a picture some where of my boots, putties and weights at the end of my bed in Shilo. Incidentally if the wire in the brim worked loose it gave a mean poke in the side of the temple. Knew a lad who washed his bush hat in naphtha, put it back on, lite a cigarette and got a cheap thrill.

ironing.

Burnt a hole right through my greatcoat. Mum repaired it by cutting out a piece from the heam. No one ever found out. When I left Harrogate and handed it in I just run. Phewww!.

If we couldn't get the loan of an iron, the BD trousers went under the matress with brown paper etc, having run a mouthful of water along the intended crease. Nt much good if you were a restless sleeper.

Jimsigs1

Hardrations....The "spiffy" as you call it (can`t remember what we called it) was a brilliant little device when used on KF shirts..It was often a deciding factor on selecting stickman on guard.Don`t know what happened to mine,disappeared when BD was withdrawn..

Jim The mouthfull of water!!I had completly forgotten about that..

Gordon. wrote:

Hardrations....The "spiffy" as you call it (can`t remember what we called it) was a brilliant little device when used on KF shirts..It was often a deciding factor on selecting stickman on guard.Don`t know what happened to mine,disappeared when BD was withdrawn..

Jim The mouthfull of water!!I had completly forgotten about that..

I have a box with all those little bits & pieces that you can never bring yourself to throw away in it. Amazingly, among all the stuff, is one of those gadgets that is being called a "spiffy".

It's in the shape of a letter M, each arm of which has a spring-loaded spike on the end. The spikes go into the points of the collar, at the back, to keep it from curling up.

I bought mine in '59 while in training in Rhyl.

Must admit that I have never heard of a spiffy. I do remember putting my BD trousers under the mattress though, another trick we used was a 2 Bob bit, if, when you were pressing your BD and burnt it, a quick rub over, while it was still warm, usually rectified matters. Another dodge to indicate that you were an old sweat (16 years old), was to remove the buckle from the BD Blouse and replace it with a button hole and button.

A quick cover up when a button came off,was to stick it through the flap and secure it with a match stick.Trouble was you tended to forget about it and eventually the button got lost..Another trip to QM stores and a red entry in pay book

Having just got out of boy service and posted to Germany, I parted with a few bob's worth of fags in exchange for a Canadian battledress. Lovely darker colour and concealed buttons etc. It was confiscated some time later and never saw it again- pity


Jimsigs1

Spiffies for us dissapeared when they started to issue Kakhi shirts with a nylon stiffner in the collar tip.

I had a B.D. that had the nap well worn on it and this was my work dress. The pocket on the front of the right leg ( called a map pocket I believe) wore through on the crease. The trick then, was to remove the piece of material used for the pocket leaving the flap and button.The unworn fuzz under neath gave the outline of a pocket. I well remember being inspected by some young Lt. one morning who checked to make sure the pocket was buttoned and was satisfied that it was never noticing the missing pocket. The Sgt. following behind hissing to me , " Campbell get rid of that B.D. it's the sh*t's". It's hard fooling old Sgts. and girl friends.

Hardrations,

The BDyou refer to with the crease through the map pocket was just about being superceded by the later version which placed the pocket further to the side and ut of the way of the crease. Also, the field dressing pocket on the back was replaced with a buttoned flap.
and finally, the old blouse which buttoned up at the front was as you know replaced with lapels and concealed buttons down the front. Still think the Canadian BD was the best.

Jimsigs1

Was the field dressing pocket not moved to the front ,right hand side?

Gordon, you're correct. The Fd Dssg pocket was front right, the BD jacket also had a nifty inside pocket for your Woodbines. I recall on joining Mans Service being issued with 2 KF Shirts with a flap arrangement on the inside of the shirts that buttoned over, presumably to hide our scrawny necks.

Sorry Gordon and you've picked it up Sheldrake, of course the little pocket was indeed on the front.
Talking about shirts, Iwas on leave from Germany sometime in 1952/3 when I bought a couple of ex US Army shirts and a woven tie from taht little Army & Navy kiosk type shop in front of the Charing Cross Hotel (beginning of the Strand). on returning from leave I was stopped by a couple of RAF Police types who chargedme for being improperly dressed. What did they know about ARMY dress regs. That's was the Sqn Comander said and I was case dismissed. Provisio - 'don't wear those shirts here but have you got the address of the shop that sold you the woven Army Group crossed rifle flashes'.

Jimsigs1

Last time I wore the old wool B.D. was in Feb 1969. We were later in March/April issued our Forest (Rifle) Green uniforms, in time to go on parade in Ottawa for the 25 anniversary of
D Day.

Incidentally it was the best parade I ever saw of veterans. THEY JUST DIDN'T GIVE A POOP ABOUT ATTITUED OR DRILL DISCIPLINE. I well remember watching a WW 2 Vet CWAC in her wartime issue stretching her foot past a person on her left and booting another lady vet on the other side in the butt. They were both obviously real rear rank soldiers.

Shelldrake wrote:

Gordon, you're correct. The Fd Dssg pocket was front right, the BD jacket also had a nifty inside pocket for your Woodbines. I recall on joining Mans Service being issued with 2 KF Shirts with a flap arrangement on the inside of the shirts that buttoned over, presumably to hide our scrawny necks.

Just been looking at pictures of a guard of honour we did at Rhyl in early '59.

There was no field dressing pocket on BD in those days.

I agree that earlier patterns had the F D pocket (front, RH side) and the map pocket was on the front of the leg to begin with then it was moved to the side.

This gentleman is my former RC Sigs Sgt in 2 SSM (Trg) Bty RCA. Sgt McLean was one of the best. He passed away last fall. A veteran of the D Day landings RCN and then RC Sigs after the war. Later to be a Korean Vet and UN Egypt.

As you'll notice the map pocket was on the left leg of the Wood B.D. My apologies for being wrong.

Behind him are 2 3/4 ton T.U.V. vans. The one on the left was the Bde. Admin. Det and the one the right was the Techs van. The Bde Comd vehicle was a 2 1/2 ton van.

I can't be certain on this Hardrations but it looks like he has SAS wings on his jacket.

Brum, I stand corrected. There was a Fd Dssg pocket on the old denim trousers, the two piece affair with the BD type blouse.

There was also one on the combat kit

brum wrote:

I can't be certain on this Hardrations but it looks like he has SAS wings on his jacket.

Not SAS wings brum. They're Cdn. paratrooper wings. When Bill came into the RC Sigs he was posted at Rivers Manitoba. This is where para training took place then. He qualified for his wings while in the RC Sigs Det there. One of the rewards in being posted there.

Shelldrake wrote:

Brum, I stand corrected. There was a Fd Dssg pocket on the old denim trousers, the two piece affair with the BD type blouse.

Aah yes . . the denims.

The embodiment of sartorial elegance !