John Jones of Cairo

[HamandJam]

Hi Chaps,

In various SAS books it has been written that John Jones tailors of Cairo was supposed to have produced early SAS beret badges. If have tried to find out more about the firm but have not found anything except that a John Jones tailors existed in the UK but they have no longer any records.

Anyone knows more?

Cheerio,
JB

[Postwarden]

Can't remember where this came from.

Jon

[54Bty]

When I was in Cario a few years back I was taken to a shop that was full of WW2 stuff from all sides that was made in their workshop. The entrance door had two large plated glass windows jam packed with badges of all sorts, these windows were sealed at the back. No camera and not much time it was the policeman's lunch time.

That could have been the shop you mention.

Marc

[HamandJam]

Thanks Guys!

Jon, that should be them.

Marc, that have felt like being in front of a candy shop, wonder what goodies they had on display ��

Cheers
JB

[leigh kitchen]

Wish I'd known about the place when I last visited Cairo in 1980.
All I got was a filthy disease that put me in hospital for a couple of weeks & a lot of offers of drugs & Egyptian PT sessions (which were not responsible for my hospitalization).
Closest I came to acquiring militaria was a failed attempt to buy a coppers AK47 bayonet.

[HamandJam]

I found this picture of an English tailors shop taken in September 1942 in Cairo but can not read the signs. It is below the Diana palace hotel.

I also read on the internet someone stating that the firm was burned out of business during the infamous riots in Cairo in 1952 but do not know the source of that information.

Cheers, JB

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...b81348338.html

[High Wood]

Originally Posted by Postwarden

Can't remember where this came from.

Jon

It came from here.

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ad.php?t=30312

[Belly]

Originally Posted by HamandJam

Hi Chaps,

In various SAS books it has been written that John Jones tailors of Cairo was supposed to have produced early SAS beret badges. If have tried to find out more about the firm but have not found anything except that a John Jones tailors existed in the UK but they have no longer any records.

Anyone knows more?

Cheerio,
JB

You could try Peter Taylor, last time I chatted to him at a mil fair he said he'd been there (or at least to a tailors in Cairo that had period SF badges on display)

[High Wood]

Originally Posted by HamandJam

I found this picture of an English tailors shop taken in September 1942 in Cairo but can not read the signs. It is below the Diana palace hotel.

I also read on the internet someone stating that the firm was burned out of business during the infamous riots in Cairo in 1952 but do not know the source of that information.

Cheers, JB

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...b81348338.html

The Diana Palace Hotel was presumably very close to the famous Diana Palace Cinema. It appears to have been recently restored but I have not been able to find exactly where in Cairo it is located.

[engr9266]

Diana Cinema
17 Mohammed Bek Al Alfi, Cairo

[High Wood]

Presumably the couple in the left foreground just popped into the cinema to kill some time whilst waiting for his new SAS beret to be ready for collection.

[popskipa]

Belly - "You could try Peter Taylor, last time I chatted to him at a mil fair he said he'd been there (or at least to a tailors in Cairo that had period SF badges on display)"...and you believed him?

There is a phrase that comes to mind - "You can tell when he is lying as his mouth opens and closes!"

Another example of the makers label in an Officers sidecap...

Keith

[Frank Kelley]

!

Originally Posted by Belly

You could try Peter Taylor, last time I chatted to him at a mil fair he said he'd been there (or at least to a tailors in Cairo that had period SF badges on display)

[arnhem2280]

In an earlier topic on the subject of John Jones I posted a photo of one of his labels inside an officers cap. I can't seem to find it at the moment but it is on the forum somewhere.