RAF short sleeved shirts [Archive]

Exrigger

4th Aug 2018, 19:44

Could try these:

https://uniformstores.co.uk/raf-mans-wedgewood-shirt-short-sleeve-13-p.asp

https://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/raf-shirt-short-sleeved-raf-issue-shirt-light-blue-used-grade-shirts-1401735.html

Or Ebay has a few

ian16th

5th Aug 2018, 09:36

Could try these:

https://uniformstores.co.uk/raf-mans-wedgewood-shirt-short-sleeve-13-p.asp

This one is 67% polyester.

The OP is looking for 100% Cotton.

Lima Juliet

5th Aug 2018, 10:31

The RAF shirts are really nasty and cheap (just shy of a fiver last time I bought one) - but they are about 80% polyester. There is one that is the same pattern as the RAF one and roughly the same shade by KustomKit - it’s about twice the price and about 70% cotton.

https://www.kustomkit.com/product/corporate/kk133-mens-pilot-shirt-short-sleeve/

Otherwise you would need to get a tailor to knock you some up. Here is a company in London that does 100% FAD cotton shirts for the Army - £54 off the peg or £75 made to measure:

Military Shirts (http://www.stephanshirts.co.uk/page4.htm)

The only other way to get this done is to get enough of you together and put in a THREADS report via clothing stores compalining about the current shirts. Then it will go to the 6 monthly Clothing Committee to consider - you would need at least a Squadron’s worth of reports to make it viable for consideration.

NutLoose

5th Aug 2018, 12:05

https://www.ecsnaith.com/raf-blue-short-sleeved-shirt.html

. (https://www.ecsnaith.com/raf-blue-short-sleeved-shirt.html)

Background Noise

5th Aug 2018, 12:46

Which bit of '100% cotton' are those posting irrelevant links missing?

NutLoose

5th Aug 2018, 12:59

Mine does not say

Exrigger

5th Aug 2018, 13:11

Probably because some links don't say what they are made of, and if you search for '100% cotton RAF short sleeved shirts', there does not seem to be any matches on the first two/three pages of links on my search engine, people are only trying to give options that might help the OP, never mind.:{

Maxibon

5th Aug 2018, 14:45

Quite why anyone would wish to wear a short-sleeved shirt is beyond me. If you want comfort and a uniform so smart it has a PhD from Cambridge, you should have joined a decent regiment.

NutLoose

5th Aug 2018, 16:23

Ahh but it would cost you a fortune chopping and changing every time you merged.

langleybaston

5th Aug 2018, 20:37

Ahh but it would cost you a fortune chopping and changing every time you merged.

Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Spilt my drink!

JTIDS

5th Aug 2018, 20:58

The issue is indeed just how horrible the polyester issue shirts are. A long hot summer in a base with sub optimal air conditioning has made me consider investing in something a little more comfortable!

NutLoose

5th Aug 2018, 21:15

staircase

5th Aug 2018, 21:35

Maxibon

6th Aug 2018, 16:14

The merging just enhances the gene pool from which to interbreed.

BEagle

6th Aug 2018, 21:47

staircase wrote: Then along came a Van Heusen shirt….

Does anyone else remember the strange duck egg blue green shirt which preceded the Wedgewood blue colour in the very early '70s? I made the mistake of buying one - you couldn't wear it for more than a few hours before it started looking grubby.... One of my earliest stupid decisions!

k3k3

6th Aug 2018, 23:22

The last issue 100% cotton shirt I had was in 1975, made by Ladybird.

Whenurhappy

7th Aug 2018, 04:20

In my last job i had to wear No 1s very regularly as i was in a 'representational role'. I quickly realised how poorly made and uncomfortable the issued shirts were/are so took to wearing suitable blue long sleeve cotton shirts by Trywtt or T M Lewin. The only slight giveaway were the double cuffs; I prefer to think of that as style.

Johnny Foreigner never noticed anyway.

ian16th

7th Aug 2018, 08:39

The RAF used to be proud that it was the 1st service, where the other ranks wore a collar & tie.

alfred_the_great

7th Aug 2018, 09:54

The RAF used to be proud that it was the 1st service, where the other ranks wore a collar & tie.

Erm, engineers in the RN used to wear “fore and aft rig” - which involves a tie - well before the aircraft was invented...

Union Jack

7th Aug 2018, 10:11

The RAF used to be proud that it was the 1st service, where the other ranks wore a collar & tie.

Sadly only some 40 years adrift, Ian, according to the 1879 Royal Naval Uniform Regulations (http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Uniform/1879_Uniform_Regs.html)

Jack

ian16th

7th Aug 2018, 11:43

You mean I was lied to?

Shock, horror.

Can I claim compensation?

Pontius Navigator

7th Aug 2018, 12:12

WUH, the proper shirts with detached collars also had double cuffs. The latter secured with plain gold cuff links with chain not bayonet. I stil! have mine.

Pontius Navigator

7th Aug 2018, 12:16

Sadly only some 40 years adrift, Ian, according to the 1879 Royal Naval Uniform Regulations (http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Uniform/1879_Uniform_Regs.html)

Jack
Really? All ranks?

sitigeltfel

7th Aug 2018, 12:52

Ah….when we had to wear an issue shirt with a separate collar with the studs.

Then along came a Van Heusen shirt….such an improvement, but of course with a long sleeve, which we rolled up in hot weather. (Always provided shirt sleeve order was authorised)

I can't remember ever being without the tie, but advancing years and the little grey cells falling victim to the G and T.

AOC 1Gp authorised "sans tie" during the 1976 heatwave when I was based at Bawtry. Yours truly got a bollocking from the SWO at Finningley when I had to visit there on an admin matter. He kindly informed me that Finningley was not 1Gp territory and that I should scrounge a tie from someone before venturing onto his domain!

goudie

7th Aug 2018, 13:06

On my sqd. In Germany we were allowed to remove our collar and tie by the F/sgt. when working on the aircraft. I think the aircrew still had to wear them!
I did have some nice Colton blue shirts and smooth khaki drills, made in Cyprus

Union Jack

7th Aug 2018, 14:46

You mean I was lied to?

Shock, horror.

Can I claim compensation?

Ian - Don't get "shirty" with me! Over to you to slap in via https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/3830774 although I regret tat none of the libraries mentioned is very near you....

Really? All ranks?

PN - No, not all, as indicated in the 1879 Royal Naval Uniform Regulations (http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Uniform/1879_Uniform_Regs.html) , only men dressed in Class I (Chief Petty Officers) and Class III (Petty Officers and Men Not Dressed as Seamen) - known as "Fore and Aft rig", and the latter including new entry ratings in certain branches - since Class II rig, worn then by Petty Officers and Men Dressed as Seamen - known as "Square Rig" - consisted of course of bell-bottomed trousers and seamen's blue jerseys or white fronts, depending on the time of year and area of service.

"Off the cuff" - double of course! - Class I included certain Petty Officers from 1920, and later all confirmed Petty Officers, Class III no longer exists, and Class II happily lives on, albeit in a rather different form with flared rather than bell-bottomed trousers, and a different style of jumper.

Jack

PlasticCabDriver

7th Aug 2018, 16:14

Why would you want 100% cotton anyway, unless you really really really like ironing?

taxydual

7th Aug 2018, 16:58

Yours truly got a bollocking from the SWO at Finningley

Ah, the legend that was WO Johnny Walker. A stickler for dress and deportment.

Picture the scene, the long drag from the Airmens Mess to the hangars. Hundreds of happy airmen walking (smartly) to work past the Guardroom.

One young airman minus beret.

SWO JW "YOU, AIRMAN. STAND STILL"

100 Airmen freeze.

SWO JW "WHERE IS YOUR HEADGEAR?"

99 Airmen sigh in relief.

Guilty Man (in quavering voice) "Sir, I have a chit from the MO"

SWO JW "THEN WEAR THE FU**ING CHIT THEN"

99 Airmen convulsed with laughter.

Whenurhappy

8th Aug 2018, 04:13

WUH, the proper shirts with detached collars also had double cuffs. The latter secured with plain gold cuff links with chain not bayonet. I stil! have mine.

I didn't realise that although my undershirt for No 6As is exactly that - but worn collarless. in fact, anyone wanting to buy a set of No 6As? Posh white ice cream suit with gold epaulettes, aiguelettes, gold single wing brevet and becketed for 10 medals? Also 3 white meas kits, 2 Khaki service dress, 1 bush jacket,2 x No 1s.....and some blue cotton long sleeve shirts?

Training Risky

8th Aug 2018, 14:08

I didn't realise that although my undershirt for No 6As is exactly that - but worn collarless. in fact, anyone wanting to buy a set of No 6As? Posh white ice cream suit with gold epaulettes, aiguelettes, gold single wing brevet and becketed for 10 medals? Also 3 white meas kits, 2 Khaki service dress, 1 bush jacket,2 x No 1s.....and some blue cotton long sleeve shirts?

Sorry, I think Idi Amin retired a few years ago.

PlasticCabDriver

8th Aug 2018, 18:52

Lima Juliet

8th Aug 2018, 19:04

These guys do 84% cotton pilot shirts, and they have short sleeve blue shirts, unfortunately there are no pictures of the shade of blue but I’m sure they’d tell you if you asked:

SELECT OLYMP Level 5 Body Fit Shirts (http://www.olympdirect.com/PILOTshirts.htm)

I have one - lovely shirt but wrong shade of light blue, sadly.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/400x600/0830_12_11_800_600x600_42e80b0c364d702ff074a7e2e04cdc2851d35 89f.jpg

Splash1983

8th Aug 2018, 20:12

So you if you didn't mind ironing and wanted to be comfortable whatever the weather why oh why did you join the RAF? Can't have been for the uniform as you clearly don't like it. Normally the air-conditioning in the 5*Star deployment hotel would have resolved both the ironing and the discomfort, but perhaps you are SH or dare I say it SARF. Bu then you wouldn't need a short sleeve shirt as either combats or a growbag would be de-rigour. And clearly not fast jet master race as the only possible daily uniform is the already mentioned …… grow bag. So what branch of RAF do you come from ?? Tongue very much in cheek :)

Wensleydale

8th Aug 2018, 20:49

I have one - lovely shirt but wrong shade of light blue, sadly.

But who would notice! I wore through the seat of my last pair of RAF No 2 trousers a few months before I retired (now that was an office job) and rather than buy a new set which would be gone a couple of months later, I bought two pairs of blue/grey trousers from M&S. As expected, nobody noticed and they were much more comfortable (and washable, kept their crease etc).

Lima Juliet

8th Aug 2018, 21:56

But who would notice! I wore through the seat of my last pair of RAF No 2 trousers a few months before I retired (now that was an office job) and rather than buy a new set which would be gone a couple of months later, I bought two pairs of blue/grey trousers from M&S. As expected, nobody noticed and they were much more comfortable (and washable, kept their crease etc).

Yup, they probably would notice the difference in shade - it is pretty stark!
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/416x894/air_mshl_barry_thornton_81bbf186eb51906e2b0fc41f3a4d01d8ee6d 678c.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/400x600/0830_12_11_800_600x600_42e80b0c364d702ff074a7e2e04cdc2851d35 89f_b5d3b06a8f1c574610c093163dfebc47e6e4d75a.jpg

Tankertrashnav

8th Aug 2018, 23:41

I was quite long in the tooth before I discovered that short sleeved shirts were regarded as naff by those in the know (I am talking civvie shirts now). Naff or not, I couldn't give a damn. This summer I have been wearing short sleeved shirts every day for weeks (cant abide tee shirts, polo shirts,etc) and couldn't be bothered with the faff of rolling up sleeves all the time, particularly as the damned things always come down at some stage and have to be rolled up again.

I remember my first Van Heusen collar attached RAF shirts with epaulettes bought in a shop in Cirencester in the summer of 1965 for 42/6d. Much relief that I could get out of No 1, even though we still had to wear the tie in those days.

Whenurhappy

9th Aug 2018, 04:10

Sorry, I think Idi Amin retired a few years ago.

More like the Lord High Admiral of Ruritania...

Pontius Navigator

9th Aug 2018, 07:29

TTN, in our club I noticed a few members wore short sleeved shirts. They tended to be office wallahs. Doctors in hospitals also favour short sleeves. OTOH the retired members favoured long sleeves with many with double cuffs.

I think short sleeves are becoming more common.

You will remember however that officers had to wear long sleeves in the tropics after 6. In contrast dark blue would wear white shorts sleeves - no mozzies.

Innominate

9th Aug 2018, 08:09

Doctors in hospitals also favour short sleeves. I believe this was a recent NHS directive to help prevent infections being spread via clothing.

The Oberon

9th Aug 2018, 09:10

I believe this was a recent NHS directive to help prevent infections being spread via clothing.
As is no ties.

Tankertrashnav

9th Aug 2018, 09:58

You will remember however that officers had to wear long sleeves in the tropics after 6.

You will no doubt recall the tale of the bar in the mess at Tengah where a bunch of guys had been taking full advantage of happy hour. An officious senior officer unwisely pointed out that they should not be wearing shorts in the mess after 6pm, at which point they all removed their shorts and carried on drinking in their shreddies!

Bit of thread drift, but re short sleeves in hospitals, I heard a thing on Radio 4 this morning that hospital workers with beards are less likely to spread infections such as MRSA, norovirus, etc than those who are clean shaven. No idea why this should be, but as a beardie who gets fed up hearing that beards are unhygienic I was quite pleased to hear the item.

Back to RAF shirts now!

MPN11

9th Aug 2018, 10:08

In summer at MoD I regularly wore civvy short-sleeved shirts of assorted colours (with tie) under my suit. In office, discarded jacket and got on with work. Nobody ever commented. Jacket on when called in to 1* and above, of course!

BEagle

9th Aug 2018, 15:47

Short sleeve shirts with ties? Dear me no - how horribly American.

Tankertrashnav

9th Aug 2018, 16:39

How sensible MPN11 !

MPN11

9th Aug 2018, 18:42

Opinion is clearly divided :)

I rate operational efficiency higher than sartorial perfection, although I also do the latter :D

Maxibon

9th Aug 2018, 18:59

For once I actually agree with Beagle.

Melchett01

9th Aug 2018, 19:19

I have one - lovely shirt but wrong shade of light blue, sadly.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/400x600/0830_12_11_800_600x600_42e80b0c364d702ff074a7e2e04cdc2851d35 89f.jpg

I wouldn’t worry about the shade - my first 1-Star never did. He had tailored shirts from Hong Kong that were so pale they weren’t that far from off-white.

As for me, if I’m in civilian attire and heading into MoD I’ll usually go for a suit, but in hot weather have been known to turn up in a rather fetching very soft gingham open collared shirt with sleeves turned up to mid-forearm, chinos and whatever footwear I can find in the wardrobe that goes. Nobody batted an eyelid and I found it amusing watching the suited and booted brigade clearly only a couple of steps from heatstroke with their ties done up on the hottest day of the year. As the great Billy Connolly said, there’s no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothes.

Pontius Navigator

9th Aug 2018, 19:54

You will no doubt recall the tale of the bar in the mess at Tengah where a bunch of guys had been taking full advantage of happy hour. An officious senior officer unwisely pointed out that they should not be wearing shorts in the mess after 6pm, !
Similar situation at Butterworth. A young PN, and a lot lighter than now, was similarly out of order when a pair of hands from behind lifted me up by the elbows. It was the Base Commander, a diminutive Aussie who whispered in my ear "You and I Sir are incorrectly dress, I suggest we rectify that matter"

Put like that PN agreed it was a good idea and returned a few minutes later in slacks, long sleeves shirt (white as there was no other colour) and sqn the (and no other).

The Oberon

10th Aug 2018, 04:42

Shirts and ties, always a problem. I remember when the round necked Woolly Pully was introduced. It took weeks to sort out if it was to be with/without tie and shirt collar points inside the neck band or outside. It changed almost on a weekly basis at Scampton. I still can't remember what the final format was.

BEagle

10th Aug 2018, 06:44

At Scampton, OC35 found a way around the collar in/out / with/without tie problem for the woolly pully - he didn't bother with a shirt.

617's pilot leader joked that we should wear wings on our woolly pullys - someone in the Air Box took him seriously and that's why the order came out requiring us to have them stitched on...

Unfortunately the smart barathea No2 had been replaced by that dreadful Thunderbirds jacket thing, so most people went for the woolly pully + giant moth option.

Lima Juliet

17th Aug 2018, 17:42

Heard on the grapevine today that a 65% Cotton shirt is on its way with a thicker material. Understood to be in stock maybe by Christmas - ho, ho, ho...

So that is good news, just need to sort the rest of the ensemble :ok:

MPN11

17th Aug 2018, 19:40

Yet another shirt variation to be seen, then!
I recall the 70s, when there must have been 6 different variants ... and that was before the short-sleeves came in [in various shades of blue].

NRU74

17th Aug 2018, 19:45

[QUOTEUnfortunately the smart barathea No2 had been replaced by that dreadful Thunderbirds jacket thing, so most people went for the woolly pully + giant moth option.[/QUOTE]

The first many of us saw of this particular jacket was in c1976 when the, then, and later quasi infamous, Gp Capt Peter Harding arrived at Brüggen wearing the same.