Hi
Without a picture it's hard to be specific but I can give you some general information which may be of help.
The wool Duffel Coat was introduced in the 1890s and was fastened by three wooden toggles. It also had a plain hood with no adjustment.
The Duffel Coat was only made in three sizes - being oversized so as to fit over other warm clothing it didn't need to be a perfect fit. The duffel coat continued to be issued until 1956.
Duffel coats worn at the start of WWII were fastened by three wooden toggles, adjustable wrist straps fastened with a single button (two were stitched to the coat), a neck flap fastened by a pair of buttons and press snaps to adjust the hood to fit. There was a large open-top pocket on each hip.
All buttons were plain buttons of a similar colour to the coat. The cord fastenings for the wooden toggles were made of twisted string and were also a similar colour to the coat.
During the war changes were made as economies were introduced. The neck flap and snaps were done away with and the hood adjustment was achieved by a tape that ran round the inner edge of the hood and which could be drawn tight and secured by buttons. An extra wooden toggle fastening was also added to the front of the duffel coat - bringing the number up to four.
As previously stated duffel coats continued to be issued until the late-1950s and were worn by members of all three armed services as well as organisations such as Civil Defence. They were also extremely popular items for civilians too. Many of them wore government-surplus duffel coats but many were also made by manufacturers solely for the civilian market. Based upon original designs they often had fancier fastenings, toggles and buttons. Initially they were made in the same colour as naval duffel coats but eventually they were made in a range of colours. They are still made today - I wear one myself when the weather turns cold!
Hope some of this helps!
Pete
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