RAF Officers' Greatcoat Wanted

[Rufio]

Afternoon,

I am aware this has been posted before so apologies,

I am looking for an RAF Officers' Greatcoat, chest size around 40-42'' height to fit a 6' chap (being myself), I am willing to pay some moneys/beer chits/gentle back rubs for it, please PM me or post below

There are alot of airmans Greatcoats knocking about, some of them even touting themselves as officers' one, however I saw through their ruse:=
The only place I have found that has them is Goldings Tailors how were selling it for £1275 which I thought a tad expensive.

Any help please let me know,

Thanks

[NutLoose]

Fancy a punt?

VINTAGE RAF GREAT OFFICERS COAT CROMBI R.E.CITY 40" CHEST | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-RAF-GREAT-OFFICERS-COAT-CROMBI-R-E-CITY-40-CHEST-/390357204605?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item5ae31a3e7d)

[jamesdevice]

Your name is John Barrowman, someone nicked the "real" prop from the last series of Torchwood and I claim my £5 token prize.
Hows that for a guess?

Or if I'm wrong, how about a Torchwood replica??? Only £250
Official Torchwood Captain Jack Harkness Replica Coat - Scificollector -Creators of the Torchwood Figures & Exclusive Doctor Who Merchandise (http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/sec3219f94465/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/dr-doctor-who-captain-jack-coat-official-jacket/SubProducts/dr-doctor-who-torchwood-captain-jack-coat-official-jacket-xl)

[Buster Hyman]

Pity. I have a Civil Defence Great coat from 1957 I think...fits me & I'm around 6'5"

[Schnowzer]

Top tip, seems like a good idea and then you'll never wear it, been there got the tee shirt!

[MG]

Nope, disagree. I have worn mine every winter since not being in a flying suit. It's beautifully warm and smart.

Good luck in your search!

[TBM-Legend]

Great coats on, great coats off......:ooh:

[Buster Hyman]

Mine isn't very warm. I think, however, it's designed with the rest of the uniform in mind & only "contributes" to the wearers warmth... :8

[Tankertrashnav]

When I had a militaria shop I had several of these over the years and was always amazed how difficult they were to sell, considering what superb coats they were. I think £15 was the best I ever got for one - the one on Ebay's £19.99 at the moment so things dont seem to have changed much. Mind you there cant be many blokes around who are 6'3" with a 32" waist - certainly wouldn't fit me :(

[CathayBrat]

When going through the attic years ago i came across my old mans flying helmet, grow bag (with 45 Sqn tabs still on), flying boots and officers great coat. The helmet looked silly on me (on the pub trips), the grow bag and boots did not fit, but the coat was perfect. First used it at RAFCC when i went for a flying scholarship test. Lincs in February, with the wind coming in from the Urals, i was toasty snug and warm. Still have it, would never part with it, but i'm amazed they are selling for over £1200! (Mind you, the moths got a bit, so maybe mine would sell for less!)

[Roadster280]

Here's another one (http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GENUINE-ACTION-MAN-RAF-GREATCOAT-/290621342148?pt=UK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN&hash=item43aa61c1c4#ht_744wt_883)

[orgASMic]

Mine came from Clothing Stores at Uxbridge as a QCS cast-off. You might try Northolt as they Uxbridge moved lock, stock and barrel there.

[Lima Juliet]

No offence intended alert - banter chips on.

Greatcoat? Willy Woofters are go...

http://i3.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/lens14048651_1286433798jack_kisses_jack_larger.j

...not that there is anything wrong with it these days, so I'm told. Each to their own is my new moto.:ok:

[Erandock]

Sadly, this is no longer a greatcoat. It appears to have been crudely altered (i.e. butchered) for civilian use as a sort of "British Warm". It is now neither one thing nor the other, neither military nor civilian.

The lapels have been cut back; RAF metal buttons removed and replaced with leather ones; backbelt removed; and darting removed to lose the tailored waist.

What a pity. All character and authenticity has been lost.

[Willard Whyte]

Greatcoat:

http://chocolate-affairs.com/catalog/image/cache/data/soldier-500x500.jpg

Chocolate Soldier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Soldier)

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/387381_155585751210139_125531617548886_164565_2083270630_n.j pg

[Old Bricks]

Rufio
See message in your PMs
Old Bricks

[reds & greens]

Have seen the odd one or two being worn at the Lincs base with the spinny-round thing on the aircraft roof. The strangest fitting one tends to drift towards the same said aircraft squadron :confused:

[stickstirrer]

I have a proper greatcoat available for sale, below knee length, ranked, proper original buttons. I am 6', 42" chest. Bought when in Cold War Germany, 1979....hardly worn. Make me an offer? :cool:

[TwoTunnels]

I'm with LJ on this. Why would anyone want to wear a great coat, officer or not. You'll look like a grande fromage, to put it nicely. Just wear your leather 'flying' jacket and you may look slightly less like a complete pr1ck.

[Scuttled]

You're probably right there. Mrs Scuttled strongly concurs.

I've always wanted one though. Sigh.

I'm self aware enough to know that I'm a sad muppet sometimes.

[NutLoose]

TwoTunnels
I'm with LJ on this. Why would anyone want to wear a great coat, officer or not. You'll look like a grande fromage, to put it nicely.


Well you could scrape it down with a razor blade, dye it black with boot polish and then use it to escape from Germany in, utilising the compass in your button and map in your pencil...... Well you could of, until Messieurs Government repatriated you all and metaphorically wise, removed the lead from your pencils..

[kiwibrit]

Hmm -I have the greatcoat I got as an APO - Crombie, RE City IIRC (but I could be wrong). Bates SD hat with original box. Never could get myself to get rid of them!

[BEagle]

It must be over 40 years now since they stopped issuing officers with greatcoats? As Flt Cdts we had the awful airmens' greatcoats, but would have been issued with officers' greatcoats if we hadn't gone to university instead. When we cam back for IOT, they'd been binned, thankfully.

Then there was that sodding heavy gaberdine paedophile's raincoat with belt and foldy-over collar. Someone stole mine at Cranwell in 1974 but I never found a subsequent need for one.

Aircrew leather jacket was just fine, but without the pussy pelt collar. Although the SWO didn't much like us wearing them with blues........:uhoh:

[TwoTunnels]

Still can't understand great coats...does it mean it's still ok to wear blue flying suits? (or battle dress?)

[NutLoose]

Beagle you have missed out the Harold Wilson Mac that was better than the belted version that came after it.

[Phil_R]

With a due sense of foreboding that this will be interpreted as a silly question:

Did they ever make a ladies' version of the officers' greatcoat? I once tried to find one as an article of costume for an actress in a film production, on the simple basis that it would make her look like she was actually in the military as opposed to just wearing a rather ugly 1940s skirt suit, but they seem to be made out of unobtainium.

And they deleted the belt on the ladies' number one jacket. Philistines.

P

[Brian 48nav]

Gosh, judging by the banter here I've just had a lucky escape!

Had a funeral to go to week before last and thinking it might be freezing in the church, I located my greatcoat ( now with naff leather buttons and slightly rearranged by a tailor in Ciren' many years ago!) in Mother-in-law's loft.

The mild weather meant I didn't need a coat, so I avoided looking like a poofter fromage! Phew!:ok:

[Old Bricks]

BEags
Your memory fails you with the greatcoats at Cranwell. As flight cadets we were officially airmen, so were issued airmen's greatcoats but were not allowed to wear them as we were officer cadets. They were altered to fit each of us on issue, and then hung in lockers for 2.5 years having their buttons polished every week (until the hi-dome, non-polish buttons came in, which were then sewn onto said greatcoats by the station tailor) until we handed them in on graduation, when they would have been reissued and re-tailored for another cadet if they hadn't binned the flight cadet system. Officer's greatcoats were supposed to be bought with the grant on commissioning, but since most of us were horrendously in debt by then, the grant virtually all went straight into the overdraft. Happy days.
The oddity was the raincoat, because we were issued with the horrible officers' raincoat instead of an airman's one. I'm sure there was some logic, but it escaped me then and now.

[BEagle]

I can certainly remember having to polish the buttons on my Airmens' greatcoat, but cannot recall ever having had to wear the wretched thing.

When I started on 99 Entry, an allowance for the Officers' greatcoat would have been included in the grant paid upon commissioning in Feb 1971. But this changed at some point (1970?) and by the time I returned to RAFC after my UAS time in 1973, the Officers' greatcoat was an 'optional' item, so no allowance was included in any uniform grant.

I'm sure that I recall seeing SUOs wearing Officers' greatcoats, but may be wrong.

[NutLoose]

I remember someone getting charged for not having polished buttons, Bader was the complainant even though he was a bloody Civi, on the charge the guy pointed out they are staybright.. Case dismissed.. Bloke was a grade a plonker

[Whenurhappy]

In my last tour overseas the winters could be severe and cold. I enjoyed wearing my greatcoat on odd occasions, striding through the snow, hat jauntily placed on head, gloves (brown) worn (but not warm). I last wore it at a remebrance Day Service at a CWGC Cemetary. Seemd appropriate.

[B Fraser]

As the Hindu word for great is mahatma, is the Indian equivalent a mahatmacoat ? ;)

[SOSL]

Hi Beags and Old Bricks

Spent my commissioning grant on a Mk2 MGA (twin cam), got my greatcoat and tailored No. 2 by mail order from Au Wi Lam (Sp!). Happy days!

[Old Bricks]

SOSL
Yes, but only you could have got the greatcoat and the No2 sent from HK(?) in a single A4 envelope! My greatcoat could have doubled up as loft insulation.