Mystery Bechuanaland KD tunic
 

In my collection , I have had for over 20 years a sealed pattern Boer War type khaki jacket by Hobson & sons. The label states that it is a Bechuanaland C of S KD Tunic , the date of manufacture is difficult to read but looks like 11 / 02 . The buttons which it came with however are East Yorkshire Regt , but actually may not be anything to do with the jacket as the jacket is designed to take buttons attached by brass 'split rings, so could have been added at anytime . Any comments on this would be most gratefully received., esp as to what BECHUANALAND C of S is .

My best guess would be Corps of Signals

Yes that makes sense .... I wonder what the buttons would have looked like ?

The date of 11 / 02 would make Corps of Signals highly unlikely, as the British Royal Corps of Signals wasn't formed until 1920. Before there was the Army Signal Company, RE and before that Signal Service, RE.
I doubt Bechuanaland would have had a Corps of Signals well before the British, so either the date is wrong or C of S means something else?

Rgds, Thomas.

Impeccable logic ! I am fairly confident the date is correct , and I do agree about Bechuanaland not likely to be way ahead of the British Army plus in what way is this a special pattern for the C of S ? Maybe that makes C of Supply being most likely , ie the dept in Bechuanaland that had sent for a sample pending an order for the police or other organisation ?

I don't know but it sounds a lot more plausible than Signals.

Rgds, Thomas.