Opinion on Gieves
I had a very well weathered hat (forget the make) which I wore for shooting competitions. (Requirement was to wear junglies and a hat)
Senior Officer turned up at a competition, to present the prizes, accompanied by his wife. She said "love the hat, was it your father's?"
Senior Officer turned up at a competition, to present the prizes, accompanied by his wife. She said "love the hat, was it your father's?"
Gieves and Moseley and Pounceford were the offical tailors at Dartmouth early '80s, plus one other I can't recall but their kit was truly shabby compared to the excellent quality of the other two. The attraction was that it was considerably cheaper and left ylu with an appreciable amount of change from the £500 allowance of No5s and mess kit. Cheaper, but still not cheap, Thieves and Moseley's gear awas lovely stuff but extortionately overpriced, a decent tailord suit could be had on the high street for not much over a hundred pounds, so 250 for their suits was way OTT. In addition there was the tmptation to but a Gieves cap, vastly superior to the plastic-covered Pusser's issue. I also splurged the unthinkable amount of £50 on a beautiful pair of Gieves mess boots that I o longer have, replacing tnose today costs well over £500.
I think those tailors did very well indeed out of the uniform grant so generously provided by Pusser. Too well in fact.
I think those tailors did very well indeed out of the uniform grant so generously provided by Pusser. Too well in fact.
I forget who supplied them, but my new shoes and gloves purchased when I rejoined in 1980 still come on 8 May and 11 November each year (in France VE Day is a public holiday, as is 11 Nov)
Does anyone know if Bates still do SD hats?
ShyTorque mentions the bashing that SH pilot's hats got. Mine ended up tucked behind me in a Whirlwind for many hours in Borneo. The oil, heat and humidity were too much for it and on my last trip from the interior to Labuan I decided that retirement was the kindest thing to do. It was perched on top of a 200 ft. high tree somewhere about five miles northwest of Sepulot.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 11th Dec 2019 at 14:20.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
I had a very well weathered hat (forget the make) which I wore for shooting competitions. (Requirement was to wear junglies and a hat)
Senior Officer turned up at a competition, to present the prizes, accompanied by his wife. She said "love the hat, was it your father's?"
Senior Officer turned up at a competition, to present the prizes, accompanied by his wife. She said "love the hat, was it your father's?"
A Bisley person, Sir? Our paths must have crossed.
My 1965 Alkit made it into the 90s [just] although at some point on the 80s I received a forwarded message for a 3/4 Star not to wear it again. It was/is more like a cloth cap than an SD Hat, TBH! I wore it on my last day at work in 1992, as a farewell gesture of the 2-fingered variety.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
Indeed ... back to ‘Thieves’ 
Pretty much all dad's kit (RN) from the hat down came from Gieves & Hawkes across the road from HMNB Nelson in Pompey.
Once a year they had an insane sale where you could buy a sports jacket for a £1, etc.
Leave the politics out of it - it's a load of bollox and most of us have had quite enough of it - and nothing to do with the OP's original query.
Once a year they had an insane sale where you could buy a sports jacket for a £1, etc.
Leave the politics out of it - it's a load of bollox and most of us have had quite enough of it - and nothing to do with the OP's original query.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: London
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pretty much all dad's kit (RN) from the hat down came from Gieves & Hawkes across the road from HMNB Nelson in Pompey.
Once a year they had an insane sale where you could buy a sports jacket for a £1, etc.
Leave the politics out of it - it's a load of bollox and most of us have had quite enough of it - and nothing to do with the OP's original query.
Once a year they had an insane sale where you could buy a sports jacket for a £1, etc.
Leave the politics out of it - it's a load of bollox and most of us have had quite enough of it - and nothing to do with the OP's original query.
Last edited by Godwinson324; 11th Dec 2019 at 18:30.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
Gieves and Moseley and Pounceford were the offical tailors at Dartmouth early '80s, plus one other I can't recall but their kit was truly shabby compared to the excellent quality of the other two. The attraction was that it was considerably cheaper and left you with an appreciable amount of change from the £500 allowance of No5s and mess kit. Cheaper, but still not cheap, Thieves and Moseley's gear was lovely stuff but extortionately overpriced, a decent tailored suit could be had on the high street for not much over a hundred pounds, so 250 for their suits was way OTT. In addition there was the temptation to but a Gieves cap, vastly superior to the plastic-covered Pusser's issue. I also splurged the unthinkable amount of £50 on a beautiful pair of Gieves mess boots that I no longer have, replacing those today costs well over £500.
I think those tailors did very well indeed out of the uniform grant so generously provided by Pusser. Too well in fact.
I think those tailors did very well indeed out of the uniform grant so generously provided by Pusser. Too well in fact.
Not advertising of course, but present day branches are reduced to Savile Row, Bath, Chester Liverpool, Birmingham and Winchester.
Jack
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Axminster Devon
Age: 83
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I assume that each Towers Entry was the subject of a Dutch auction to determine who supplied what piece of the graduating uniform. For my Entry (79) I only remember the Bates hat (excellent) and the Poulson & Scone shoes. I see others here remembering P & S with respect. The soles of my shoes gave way at the first contact with wet gravel and were soon unusable. As I result I remembered the name (to avoid it) and learned in due time that the brand was sold to another outfitter. I have also made it my practice, even when my various shoes are certain to outlive me, to give my every leather sole a rubber stick-a-sole to take the wear.
I am surprised no one has mentioned the KD racket. My first tour was in Singapore. Newbies like me were easily suckered by one or other of the named tailors (in my case, Moss Bros on Cambridge Circus) to fill our trunks with their aint-half-hot-mum versions of the kit before we left UK. I do not think they tried to sell me a solar topee but it was all quite expensive. The marvellous station tailor at Tengah saved me from wearing any of what I brought from home.
I am surprised no one has mentioned the KD racket. My first tour was in Singapore. Newbies like me were easily suckered by one or other of the named tailors (in my case, Moss Bros on Cambridge Circus) to fill our trunks with their aint-half-hot-mum versions of the kit before we left UK. I do not think they tried to sell me a solar topee but it was all quite expensive. The marvellous station tailor at Tengah saved me from wearing any of what I brought from home.
My hat was banished by the CO (he needn't have shouted …really!) so I kept it and passed it on. My son had several years use of it but was challenged once by an OC Admin who demanded to know where he'd got it, on explaining to said officer he was told "Oh, that's alright then"!
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
I am surprised no one has mentioned the KD racket. My first tour was in Singapore. Newbies like me were easily suckered by one or other of the named tailors (in my case, Moss Bros on Cambridge Circus) to fill our trunks with their aint-half-hot-mum versions of the kit before we left UK. I do not think they tried to sell me a solar topee but it was all quite expensive. The marvellous station tailor at Tengah saved me from wearing any of what I brought from home.
Whizzing around the world in Valiant tankers KD was required and I too was suckered into the Singapore tops shorts. These outlasted my helicopter tour in Borneo but a subsequent tour in Singapore the system had changed.
On arrival clothing stores would issue you with a length of lightweight KD material that you took along to your tailors in the local village; Changi in my case. There they would knock you up a full set of shirts, shorts and bushjacket.
Those whom hadn't been told about the system and had bought there KD in the UK just binned it.
On arrival clothing stores would issue you with a length of lightweight KD material that you took along to your tailors in the local village; Changi in my case. There they would knock you up a full set of shirts, shorts and bushjacket.
Those whom hadn't been told about the system and had bought there KD in the UK just binned it.