Mysterious Service Dress

[milhistry]

Does anyone have any ideas or comments about this jacket? It appears to be a service dress type jacket with stand-and-fall type collar, similar to a British WW1 other ranks service dress "frock" but made out of finer fabric which looks more like whipcoard to me.

I've removed the buttons and shoulder titles for cleaning and the collar insignia for photographing properly. The buttons and titles are South African.

In the meantime I'd be interested in any comments on it with regard to it. Thanks.

[Alex Rice]

I think I used to have one of these but I gave it way some years ago. I think it's a c.1906 pattern jacket. Similar to the Boer War type but not quite the same.
Sorry I can't be 100% sure.
Cheers,
Alex

[grenadierguardsman]

I thought it might have been Boer War period.
Andy

[Alex Rice]

I think the ABW period uniform had a high collar, but not too clued up on uniforms.

[Brian Conyngham]

Originally Posted by milhistry

Does anyone have any ideas or comments about this jacket? It appears to be a service dress type jacket with stand-and-fall type collar, similar to a British WW1 other ranks service dress "frock" but made out of finer fabric which looks more like whipcoard to me.

I've removed the buttons and shoulder titles for cleaning and the collar insignia for photographing properly. The buttons and titles are South African.

In the meantime I'd be interested in any comments on it with regard to it. Thanks.

Hi

What were the buttons and shoulder titles? These will give us a clue, please post a picture of them.

Regards
Brian

[milhistry]

The buttons are standard issue South African Artillery KC buttons as worn pre 1958. The shoulder titles are CGA (Cape Garrisson Artillery).

[hancorn]

Hi

This I would venture is a pre- ww1 tunic . I have seen a similar one in a collection . As you state it has a stand and fall collar , and I notice the 5 buttons to the front - so it would be an o/r tunic . Officers had 4 buttons

Turn all the pockets inside out , as well as the sleeves, often you will find markings in these areas

The one I have seen was also ripcord and was pre - wwi vintage

Mark

[sabrigade]

Mark,

The tunic I have is to a major and is made of a different material.

It also has five buttons.

[hancorn]

Will

O well there goes my theory !

Mark

[milhistry]

Mine was also badged with a major's crowns. At first I thought it may be an early 1900s officer's SD as I've seen photos of various Colonial officers in SA wear simmilar cut tunics in the pre WW1 era but I couldn't tell what material they were made of and I also expected an officer to have chevron tape braid ranks on the lower sleeve. I've since discovered a few photographs that show warrant officers wearing a jacket like this one. A book on NZ uniforms has two pictures of such uniforms being worn pre-WW1 and during the interwar period. Apparently they were tailor made and a WO1 could have a worsted or whipcord tunic it seems instead of a serge one. This of course begs the question why mine is badged as a major...?
Is it merely a case of an unscrupulous dealer "ranking up" the jacket?
Could it have belonged to someone who may have been a warrant officer pre-War who may have rapidly risen through the ranks to Major? (This certainly did happen, a relative of mine went from Sergeant-major to Major in the space of only 2 or 3 years during WWII for example). Then there is always the depressing thought that it might be some sort of theatrical piece that may have been created in an "old tunic + assorted badges = somebody's costume in a stage play" kind of way.
Unfortunately I have not been able to locate any name or number or label on it.

[milhistry]

Picture from 'NZ Army Uniform and Equipment' by Sullivan

There is also a picure of a Canadian WOI here: http://mpmuseum.org/provostrcmp3.html