Old Uniforms

[deltahotel]

What to do with old uniforms? My old No5 and my Dad's old No1 occupying space in wardrobes and not to be worn again by either. I don't imagine they're any use to a new joiner and finding someone else to wear them is unlikely. Don't want to give them to a charity shop. Don't want to throw them away/destroy them.

Any ideas?

[airborne_artist]

Local amateur dramatics group perhaps?

[Tankertrashnav]

Constant problem for me when I ran a militaria shop. Number 5s sometimes went for fancy dress (I had one female client who bought several mess kits from me, including RAF and various army types) but number 1s of recent vintage were pretty much unsaleable, so I tended to turn them away. I could occasionally sell an officer's greatcoat but at a pitiful price when you considered their cost new and the superb quality of the material.

WWII vintage uniforms, particularly with wings/medal ribbons are a different matter, but I'm guessing DH's dad's uniforms don't come into this category.

[salad-dodger]

Whatever way you do it, get rid and move on.

S-D

[Exascot]

Just moved everything we had in storage in the UK to Bots. Unpacking revealed all our uniforms. No.5 may be useful if invited to dine with the president. Officer's greatcoat will not get much use though. Tried to persuade Mrs Exascot to put on her old PMRAFNS sister's uniform on but she refused :{

[spectre150]

Good question - I bought new No 1 and No 5, wore them 3 times and once respectively, then PVRed. Tried to sell them before I moved abroad but there were more people leaving than joining so I still have them.

[Wander00]

There is a theatrical/film costumiers often advertises in the RBL or RAFA magazine - cannot remember which, and if I fine the advert will pm you

[deltahotel]

Thanks for the thoughts - all welcome. Dad's uniform been waiting for mum to be ready to get rid after he died 4 years ago. Mine is just laziness. Not expecting to make any money, though a Service charity would be welcome to it if I did.

[Stn120]

Contact your local Cadet Squadron, they will no doubt appreciate it. Always someone on the looking for No5's etc.

[Pontius Navigator]

eBay.

My Moss Bros No 5 jacket and waistcoat went to a museum in Manston.

Flying boots to some biker girl who was delighted.

Wooly pullys went as did old aircrew green shirts, army green long johns and vests. There is someone out there that will buy ex-mil stuff even well worn.

[Once A Brat]

....Ebay is your Friend!

When I left (within last year) I sucessfully sold on Ebay my original Cranwell No5s and the replacement No1s and No5s which I had bought due to my expanded waistline some years later...........what I made from these 3 sales covered what I'd spent on the 2 replacements!!

Only got my original No1 to sell.......any takers? Didn't think so, anybody that size will still be able to fit into their own original uniforms!!! :p

[Pontius Navigator]

OAB, I confess to only owning 2nd and 3rd as second hand. The first, I went in to the anteroom at ISK when this old pilot said 'you need a new No 1' and sold me his before he retired. My next one, bought when I took up my final appointment was from my predecessor for a £15 donation to charity.

Today they only seem to be worn for funerals and remembrance.

[Once A Brat]

PN.......I know what you mean.

My replacement No1 was triggered by having to appear (as a witness) at a Court Martial, before that I had succeeded for many years to be unavailable for remembrance parades etc by being at work and fortunately, hadn't had a funeral to go to!

[Tankertrashnav]

Tried to persuade Mrs Exascot to put on her old PMRAFNS sister's uniform on but she refused http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/boohoo.gif


Mrs TTN finally decided to get rid of her QARANC sister's ward dress, cape, cuffs etc after they had languished in our chest for more years than she'd like me to reveal. They raised over £100 on ebay which surprised her. By the way the dress still fitted her perfectly, which is more than can be said of my old No 1, which had obviously shrunk badly :(

[sisemen]

My raincoat was much travelled. I inherited it from a chum who was leaving (he'd got it from someone else) as I would not be seen dead in that dreadful abortion with the brooch rank tabs. It was slightly too big but - what the hell. I passed it on to another grateful user when I PVRd in 93. He's now air rank so I hope that he either has it still or has passed it on to yet another grateful user

[Wander00]

TTN - why was Mrs TTN trying to wear your No1?.....................

[smujsmith]

I'm just so damn lucky, I've managed to lose 50 lbs off the carcass in the past year. For fun I tried the old mess kit on and found I might need to have it taken in. Last worn 1996, although, There's not many functions I get to these days that require the formality. Maybe I will have a "fancy dress" Weberfest and invite Beags and the lads to discuss the merits of Charcoal v Devils farts:rolleyes:

[GreenKnight121]

And, since your old No 1 used to fit her perfectly... how did her's fit on you, TTN?

[smujsmith]

Steady lads, cross dressing in the TTN household may be straining the limits of thread creep, but funny :D

[Pontius Navigator]

I've managed to lose 50 lbs off the carcass in the past year.

Which reminds me of Budgie our AE Flt Cdr. He was rather large and had to have a special outsize grobag made.

He went on a sponsored diet and took most of the sqn for a mass of dosh when he pounds fell off.

Budgie however had no intention of becoming continually thin. Under an oath of secrecy I had to buy him a 25lb Ham on a Malta trip and a mega tin of sweet biscuits on a UK trip so he would not be under nourished come Christmas.

Having relieved the sqn of several hundred spoondlicks he had put it all back by New Year.

Saved having to buy a new No 6.

[500N]

smujsmith

"I've managed to lose 50 lbs off the carcass in the past year."

Wish I could do that. May I ask how you did it ?

[Tankertrashnav]

TTN - why was Mrs TTN trying to wear your No1?.....................


(and others)

I'm afraid I can't go into details - I've already been banned once in the past ;)

[Whenurhappy]

Hate to see unifroms going to waste and I am in the market for a second No 1, No 6 (Tropical SD) and No 8 (Tropical Mess Jacket), because of my new assignment (remember we're assigned now, not posted!). The latter two issue items which I already have are dreadfully made* and if I bought new ones, the cost would bankrupt me! I have this cunning plan of getting some well-made ones and getting them tailored to fit my sylph-like figure. Yeah, OK....

Size-wise, looking for 42-44" chest, Long body, 34-36" waist...I'll happily pay postage and contribute to a charity of choice.

PM me...I've already obtained a smart Great Coat from a PPruner - used only 2 weeks ago, as it happens - but the the tropical items might be more of a challenge. I was devastated to learn that the Bush Jacket (Daktari style) is now obsolete...


*The issue white Mess jacket these days is a cheapo unlined waiter's jacket with a couple of straps added for rank boards and soem button-holes for the buttons. The No 6 SD is a nasty mass-produced item, which after several dry-cleans retains absolutely no shape. Or is it me?

[SOSL]

Posted to Cyprus in 1983.

Mailed my dimensions to Au Wai Lam (sp?) in Hong Kong, received well tailored No.6 and No. 8 on arrival at MQ in Epi. Bought the rank boards from Gieves and Hawkes before departure.

Got the bush Jacket from stores - good fit, well made.

Got the Khaki shorts, shirts, socks and bondu boots from the NAAFI at Akro.

All good stuff.

Haven't a clue where they are now - ex Mrs SOSL probably burnt them.

Rgds SOS

[Motleycallsign]

Just goes to show how many calories the 'Albert butty box' had, whilst you languished in your 'cruise-hammock' Smudj.
I know, hat & coat time.......................

[smujsmith]

500N,

Nothing more difficult that eating no more than 1200 calories a day and doing a couple of hundred calories of exercise. I am a bit on the bent and broken side, so it takes a while to burn 200 calories, but as the pounds come off it gets easier. Seriously a year ago I weighed 195.3 lbs, this morning 143.0 lbs (still got 3 lbs to go to reach my attestation weight of 140 lbs). I do cheat a bit though, I don't count all the "odd beers" all the time. Hope that helps.

Motleycallsign,

Wonderful things them there "buttyboxes", I had to do something to fill that oversize grow bag they gave me.:ok:


Smudge

[Pontius Navigator]

I was devastated to learn that the Bush Jacket (Daktari style) is now obsolete...

Obsolete - can't wear or obsolete can wear out existing jacket?

When the barathea No 2 was declared obsolete it was permitted to wear out the existing one. In those days it was the norm for them to heave leather elbow pads too. Naturally we bought our No 2s after the order and continued to wear them for 6-7 years.

Now will you be the only stone-coloured one there? If you are there will be no one to question your sartorial style. One boss was an ADC in Malta. There was also a cavalry type as an equerry and he wore whatever he liked on the basis that only someone from his regiment would know.

Similarly we had a succession of USN XO and they never wore the same rig ever!

[Whenurhappy]

PN,

I fancy the District Commissioner look - fly whisk under one arm, the Solar Topee protecting me from the midday sun - so I might just take the bush jacket with me, on the basis (which you point out) that no-one would know.

There was a DA a few years ago who also up-ranked himself to improve his status with the Receiving State and to have the necessary influence to conduct his business. It posed all sort of awkward problems in Town when he died in post, and his widow sought the pension of his enhanced rank.

[Pontius Navigator]

There was a DA a few years ago who also up-ranked himself to improve his status with the Receiving State and to have the necessary influence to conduct his business.

I suspect that that was more common than you would think.

At Offutt all airmen were up-ranked to SNCO status as USAF enlisted men's facilities were deemed too substandard - no doors on toilets etc :)

Indeed at Hickam, staging through, our airmen up-ranked themselves to officer status to use the facilities. One, wearing a suit, was called "Sir" by a USAF Major. I grinned and said not a word :)

More recently flt lt OSA up-ranked to sqn ldr to match their NATO contemporaries.

During WW2, Lt Col Pinto was awarded a French decoration, Croix de Guerre I think, but forbidden to accept it. To keep the peace he had two uniforms, he wore the one with the Croix de Guerre when visiting the French mission.

[Whenurhappy]

When I was dealing with related issues in MB almost 10 years ago, we had a number of SNCOs at Defence Missions given local, unpaid Commissions so that they would be received by the locals and could go about their business.

There was an RAAF FS who was similarly treated in Kuwait, but then continued to 'Walt' his rank back in Oz and after he left the RAAF. He was found out, of course.

So no one has any tropical uniforms that they are prepared to sell?