Opinion on Gieves
Marvellous thread - this is what I used to love about the 'virtual PPRuNe crewroom'. Anyhow, still - after 20 years - searching for a proper Officers' greatcoat, not one of those knocked off / bodged airmens' raincoats being passed off as an Officers' greatcoat that one sees all too frequently online. If anyone has any suggestions on where they might be available, all 'int' gratefully received!
Marvellous thread - this is what I used to love about the 'virtual PPRuNe crewroom'. Anyhow, still - after 20 years - searching for a proper Officers' greatcoat, not one of those knocked off / bodged airmens' raincoats being passed off as an Officers' greatcoat that one sees all too frequently online. If anyone has any suggestions on where they might be available, all 'int' gratefully received!
Jack
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Interesting to hear that Montague Burton made No.1 uniforms for re-labelling by more expensive tailors. No.1s direct from Burton were common amongst officer students at Cranwell in the late 60s, but it helped to order one from a nearby branch than from a Burtons in one's home town. One of my students tried that, at a time when faux military uniforms were all the rage in Carnaby Street and its surrounds, and said "I'd like to order an RAF officer's No.1 uniform, please". To which the Burton salesman replied "Certainly, Sir. What colour would you like it?"
From JW411's story.
I wonder if the SWO remembered whether there was a King or a Queen's crown on the badge.
Of course, said SD hat had been burned by the SWO man so any possible evidence had gone.
"Interesting to hear that Montague Burton made No.1 uniforms for re-labelling by more expensive tailors. No.1s direct from Burton were common amongst officer students at Cranwell in the late 60s"
As recommended by Padre Silvanus during relaxed "Other Denominational" Cadet coffee sessions on Sunday Mornings in 1968 and followed up by all of my hut (139) who had professed OD status, releasing us from Church parades etc.
I had suddenly recalled that I was a Baptist . The fact that the other five Cadets in the hut also coincidentally all had differing OD status. was never questioned as to this amazing coincidence.
As recommended by Padre Silvanus during relaxed "Other Denominational" Cadet coffee sessions on Sunday Mornings in 1968 and followed up by all of my hut (139) who had professed OD status, releasing us from Church parades etc.
I had suddenly recalled that I was a Baptist . The fact that the other five Cadets in the hut also coincidentally all had differing OD status. was never questioned as to this amazing coincidence.
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If I might be allowed a bit of thread drift, here is a great SD hat story. Aden 1966. Station Commander had a very strange habit of inspecting some officers' rooms in the Mess on a Saturday morning (your room is your castle?) complete with PMC and SWO man. One of my mates (who was a professional extrovert) gets back from a trip on Saturday evening and finds a note that he is to report to Station Commander at 0900 on Monday morning.
He gets back to his room and finds that his "operational" SD hat (covered in hydraulic oil with a green badge) is missing. The grapevine tells him that the Stn Cdr has visited his room in his absence, found said hat and told the SWO man to take it away and burn it.
Monday morning dawns and it went like this; friend arrives in his very best uniform at 0900 and is put in front of the great man who is saluted very smartly and before he can even open his mouth:
"Good morning Sir. I am really glad that you sent for me this morning for I was going to have to come to see you anyway on a matter of some urgency."
"Really" says puzzled Stn Cdr.
"It seems that for some reason or other that you saw fit to visit my room in my absence on Saturday and my father's hat is missing. Can I have it back please?"
"Yours father's hat?"
"Yes Sir. He was shot down during the Battle of Britain in his Hurricane and was killed. They found his SD hat in the crater and my mother gave it to me for safe keeping. Can I have it back please?"
Of course, said SD hat had been burned by the SWO man so any possible evidence had gone. Friend suggested that an abject apology in writing to mother would be in order.
That wasn't entirely the end of the vendetta and great amusement was yet to come. Sorry for the thread drift.
He gets back to his room and finds that his "operational" SD hat (covered in hydraulic oil with a green badge) is missing. The grapevine tells him that the Stn Cdr has visited his room in his absence, found said hat and told the SWO man to take it away and burn it.
Monday morning dawns and it went like this; friend arrives in his very best uniform at 0900 and is put in front of the great man who is saluted very smartly and before he can even open his mouth:
"Good morning Sir. I am really glad that you sent for me this morning for I was going to have to come to see you anyway on a matter of some urgency."
"Really" says puzzled Stn Cdr.
"It seems that for some reason or other that you saw fit to visit my room in my absence on Saturday and my father's hat is missing. Can I have it back please?"
"Yours father's hat?"
"Yes Sir. He was shot down during the Battle of Britain in his Hurricane and was killed. They found his SD hat in the crater and my mother gave it to me for safe keeping. Can I have it back please?"
Of course, said SD hat had been burned by the SWO man so any possible evidence had gone. Friend suggested that an abject apology in writing to mother would be in order.
That wasn't entirely the end of the vendetta and great amusement was yet to come. Sorry for the thread drift.
As the only former university cadet on my entry at the Towers, along with 40 direct entrants, I came in for quite a bit of grief from the senior regiment instructor for my No1: "Good grief man, how long have you had that uniform - it looks months old already!"
"Two years sir".
"Hmm".
He also took exception to my nicely drooping SD hat and told me to get a new one. Fortunately, after the parade a sympathetic flt sgt drill instructor took me on one side and said "wait a minute". Sure enough a few minutes later he reappeared with a wire band stiffener from an airman's SD cap. Inserted in Bates and problem solved. Wire band ceremonially removed after passing out parade and handed back to DI.
"Two years sir".
"Hmm".
He also took exception to my nicely drooping SD hat and told me to get a new one. Fortunately, after the parade a sympathetic flt sgt drill instructor took me on one side and said "wait a minute". Sure enough a few minutes later he reappeared with a wire band stiffener from an airman's SD cap. Inserted in Bates and problem solved. Wire band ceremonially removed after passing out parade and handed back to DI.
Ahh too true Haraka! probably just as well that the SRI did not know that the No 1 came, on the advice of the CFI from UAS, from the little tailor just down the road from Strad. Its eventual replacement came from the former station tailor at Muharraq who set up shop again during GW1.
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Marvellous thread - this is what I used to love about the 'virtual PPRuNe crewroom'. Anyhow, still - after 20 years - searching for a proper Officers' greatcoat, not one of those knocked off / bodged airmens' raincoats being passed off as an Officers' greatcoat that one sees all too frequently online. If anyone has any suggestions on where they might be available, all 'int' gratefully received!
Last edited by MPN11; 15th Dec 2019 at 19:01.
Avoid imitations
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heights good:
For your further delectation now that you are seated comfortably here is a follow-up to the SD hat saga. It went something like this:
It will come as no surprise to learn that our hero's room soon became the focal point of the Stn Cmdr's itinerary on a Saturday morning. Cleaners were hired (bribed) and it was soon immaculate so that no fault could come from that direction. A couple of weeks later, the great man visited while our hero was in residence. No fault could be found until his eyes lit upon the calendar hanging on the wall.
"That will have to go".
Our hero is puzzled for it was a perfectly ordinary calendar and did not feature ladies in risque poses or anything else likely to be offensive
"I'm puzzled Sir. What exactly is wrong with it?"
"It is what is vulgarly known as a 'gnomie calender' (Tourex date ringed and every day that passes by is crossed out heading towards the 'going home' date). It is very bad for the airmens' morale."
Our hero tried to point out that the airmen didn't exactly tramp through his room on the way to breakfast but finally agreed that it would go. Fast forward two weeks and our hero is actually in bed having not got back from his previous trip until 0300. The great man arrives and there on the wall is the same calendar with another 14 days crossed out.
"I thought I told you to get that thing removed?"
"You did Sir and I understood everything you said but you must realise that that is not MY Tourex date, it's YOURS!"
The PMC later said that he had the utmost difficulty in suppressing a huge guffaw.
Our hero had reckoned that he was reasonably safe for he was due to be repatriated that evening on a VC10 back to UK to go on terminal leave before leaving the RAF and then to start work on 707s for a UK airline. Then tragedy struck. The VC10 went tech so a safe house had to be found quickly downtown. He was smuggled out of Aden early next morning in one of our own aircraft up to Bahrain where he then cadged a lift back home on a Britannia to Lyneham.
For your further delectation now that you are seated comfortably here is a follow-up to the SD hat saga. It went something like this:
It will come as no surprise to learn that our hero's room soon became the focal point of the Stn Cmdr's itinerary on a Saturday morning. Cleaners were hired (bribed) and it was soon immaculate so that no fault could come from that direction. A couple of weeks later, the great man visited while our hero was in residence. No fault could be found until his eyes lit upon the calendar hanging on the wall.
"That will have to go".
Our hero is puzzled for it was a perfectly ordinary calendar and did not feature ladies in risque poses or anything else likely to be offensive
"I'm puzzled Sir. What exactly is wrong with it?"
"It is what is vulgarly known as a 'gnomie calender' (Tourex date ringed and every day that passes by is crossed out heading towards the 'going home' date). It is very bad for the airmens' morale."
Our hero tried to point out that the airmen didn't exactly tramp through his room on the way to breakfast but finally agreed that it would go. Fast forward two weeks and our hero is actually in bed having not got back from his previous trip until 0300. The great man arrives and there on the wall is the same calendar with another 14 days crossed out.
"I thought I told you to get that thing removed?"
"You did Sir and I understood everything you said but you must realise that that is not MY Tourex date, it's YOURS!"
The PMC later said that he had the utmost difficulty in suppressing a huge guffaw.
Our hero had reckoned that he was reasonably safe for he was due to be repatriated that evening on a VC10 back to UK to go on terminal leave before leaving the RAF and then to start work on 707s for a UK airline. Then tragedy struck. The VC10 went tech so a safe house had to be found quickly downtown. He was smuggled out of Aden early next morning in one of our own aircraft up to Bahrain where he then cadged a lift back home on a Britannia to Lyneham.
Last edited by JW411; 16th Dec 2019 at 15:14.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Gieves did indeed have a shop. It was in Strait Street in Valletta.
My first SD Hat in 1961 was from Alkit, my No 1 and No 2 from Moss Bros and No 5 from City. The attraction of the No 5 from City was the special lapel facing which I was told was wipe clean and indeed in its 49 year life it never needed cleaning.
The other item was the Crombie Great Coat and I think that was Moss Bros too.
None of our kit was provided from stores apart from Hairy Blues, beret (but not badge), shirts and collars, and airman pattern shoes.
As there was a fair chop rate we did not get the money to buy a second No 1, No 5, or Great Coat until we finished flying training.
My 2nd No 1 was second hand from a pilot when the first was 14 years old. It lasted for the next 25 years as it was worn infrequently, and finally replaced 2nd hand for the last 10 years. It wax a Burton's model.
My first SD Hat in 1961 was from Alkit, my No 1 and No 2 from Moss Bros and No 5 from City. The attraction of the No 5 from City was the special lapel facing which I was told was wipe clean and indeed in its 49 year life it never needed cleaning.
The other item was the Crombie Great Coat and I think that was Moss Bros too.
None of our kit was provided from stores apart from Hairy Blues, beret (but not badge), shirts and collars, and airman pattern shoes.
As there was a fair chop rate we did not get the money to buy a second No 1, No 5, or Great Coat until we finished flying training.
My 2nd No 1 was second hand from a pilot when the first was 14 years old. It lasted for the next 25 years as it was worn infrequently, and finally replaced 2nd hand for the last 10 years. It wax a Burton's model.
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I am gradually recovering from the 'memory mirth' associated with uniforms,appearance and inevitable parade mishaps!
I have reminded myself of airmen giving me salutes and then bursting with laughter during my final RAF days. Having been told
to buy a new SD hat within months of leaving, I sought to smarten up the offending titfer with washing up cleaner. Walking to the
Squadron from the Mess one rainy morning, I encountered the 'laughing' boys. On arrival in the crew room, seeking reasons for the
encounter from my chums, I was advised to look at my SD hat. It was Bright Green and Foaming!!
Apologies- a bit of thread drift! Do we also recollect from those days a delightful artist who visited the Mess's named "Pat Rooney"
I have no doubt ,dozens of studys still contain his finest characterisations of the Young Boys in Blue, complete with comments!!
I have reminded myself of airmen giving me salutes and then bursting with laughter during my final RAF days. Having been told
to buy a new SD hat within months of leaving, I sought to smarten up the offending titfer with washing up cleaner. Walking to the
Squadron from the Mess one rainy morning, I encountered the 'laughing' boys. On arrival in the crew room, seeking reasons for the
encounter from my chums, I was advised to look at my SD hat. It was Bright Green and Foaming!!
Apologies- a bit of thread drift! Do we also recollect from those days a delightful artist who visited the Mess's named "Pat Rooney"
I have no doubt ,dozens of studys still contain his finest characterisations of the Young Boys in Blue, complete with comments!!
