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 ?

(and others)

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

Any 44" Chest long, 34 (ish) waist No 1, No 6
 

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?

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

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.......................

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

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!

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.

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.

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?