Medical Surcoat & Armband Royal Naval?

[billy]

O/K, I may need to apologise in advance as this could be 50/50 regards respectful?

The Falklands conflict was aired on the Television recently, didn’t get to catch it and you have “catch up” anyway, but caught a preview off a Royal Naval rating wearing a Red Cross-Surcoat similar to photo’s and Armband, as happens I came across one and bid on it, here it is, and now I come to the 50/50 bit regards respectability, as the item has I can only assume are Blood-stains?

Personally if I was on any of those Ships in the conflict, I could see me keeping an item like this as a momento, equally I could see me burning it!

Could this be a Falkland Islands survivor? I could see this in a display in the IWM, for what it means, appreciate your thought’s on this item? It could equally be only 20 years old of course, but have included Serial Number.

Many thanks Billy

[mike_vee]

Contract No. SL31 - 1983 to 1990

The "blood stains" are most likely Betadine (Povidone-iodine) an antiseptic skin prep used to clean wounds and for skin disinfection before surgery.

In emergency surgical situations it get spashed around a lot and any that gets on surgical scrubs etc reacts with the starches in the clothing and produces dark stains. Most of these come out in the wash but if left too long will end up as permenant marks.

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