General Chat

Strange, Sharron, cos my Dad's uniform was RN and, following his full-time service, he was in the reserves for a few years too.

Like a lot of children, his greatcoat was used in the winter to add onto the top of our blankets for added warmth. I can still remember his kitbag too.

Luckily, he was very easy-going because as children, we used to parade around the house wearing his cap and medals - he never minded.

Alas, as he got older and sorted out his memorabilia, while he filled two photograph albums for two of his grandsons (one my child), he then had to send for new ribbons for the medals to give to his other grandson.

But I never saw any of it worn to work like the other uniforms.

Joy the Sgt would have to accounted for the uniform as he made out forms for them to take them off the inventory - the CO of the camp then had to sign them to say they could be thrown away. The CO could come and do a spot check at anytime. I got the hardly used towels back as they were due to be replaced and he may have had spares to cover them. He couldn't produce a full length skirt if all the others were so short or 1 pr of size 5s shoes with a couple of 21/2s.

The shoes were black brogues which I wore all the time in UK and in winter overseas. The soles and heels had been replaced several times as I was on my feet most of the day. They were due for exchange as well. I kept my court shoes as I had to buy them.

Officers are different as they had to buy their uniform so could keep it. My greatcoat buried me, I mainly used my mack, only wore my greatcoat a couple of times. They don't automatically issue greatcoats anymore due to them being sold as a fashion item late 60s/early 70s.

This thread is a bit like chinese whispers :-D I think there is only one post that actually answers the question. However, no problem, carry on!!!

My OH I am pretty sure kept his shirts when demobbed from the RN but I am pretty sure his uniform suits etc had to be handed in. And maybe his hat but I am sure that somewhere I have the hatband and badge. For obvioud reasons I can't ask him.

Pat, I can just imagine you in a too-large greatcoat. :-D

Sorry, Ann, I often go off on a tangent! :-)

No problem JL

I wouldn't want my winter shirts, they were collarless and you had to have the collar attached with a stud, thick material that creased easily and needed spray starch to look decent.

Summer shirts were OK.

There was of course the security problem at the time so no part of a uniform would be allowed to be kept.

Ann also mentioned Quant.

I have a set of Quant make-up containers. The make up has long gone, but the compacts and lipstick tubes all have the Quant daisy on them.

I met Mary Quant's brother for a few minutes - RAF dentist.

Worth keeping I'm sure MTG

Pat T's shirts were all thickish linen type with detachable collars that had to be sent to the laundry for cleaning, horrid things. Those were his white ones. His blue work ones were of a much lighter material. as were his tropical shirts.

The men were allowed to send their clothes to the laundry, we females had to do our own laundry but my white dresses had to go to the laundry, that's why I had so many. They were collected once a week and returned a week later when the next lot were collected.

The shirts were awful, especially new was glad to get out of them and into my dresses. They were far too long in the body and the sleeves :-S

I still have an old Vidal Sassoon brown leather clutchbag that belonged to my grandmother. it has a serial number and did find one on google somewhere. Its not too bad condition and would have been from the 1930's.

In the 1970's, i had a clutchbag that looked like a magazine folded but cant remember the name. Sadly it went a long time ago and probably worth a few bob.

Dorothy Perkins was where i bought my first grey wool suit and a leather jacket. Thought the latter with my jeans was the bees knees!

But we bought clothes to last because money was tight. Shoes were heeled and soled several times before ditching.The likes of Primark,s £2.00 t shirts etc wouldnt last a month as cheap quality. I had a pair of navy hotpants though and thought they were really cool..lol

Florence in the hebrides

Florence61, I remember in the 70s wearing yellow shiney hotpants with a turquoise jumper, post office red long line sleeveless waistcoat that had shiney gold colour buttons, blue shoes and blue handbag and thought I was the bees knees too. :-D

I don't think teenagers want clothes that last now - they want new almost every week so they're probably grateful for the cheap and cheerful clothes stores.

Can't be seen in something twice can they? ;-)

Our son was like that when he was in his teens then started work we stopped buying buying his clothes he realised he couldn't afford to be fussy.

Sharron, your post 12:53 - I have no idea why you saw none worn to work.

Bell bottoms would have been conspicuous unless someone altered the width and I don't think that the tight-fitting long-sleeved tops were permanently attached to the collars so they could have been worn as undergarments. I'm not sure that naval ratings would have a permanent blazer to wear or whether they were only dished out for march-pasts.

I remember Dad going on his reserve duty in the early-1950s, wearing a blazer but I don't recall what happened to that.

My brothers went to Holbrook - and wore a naval uniform at school.
I never saw any of it after they'd left.

I am sure my father (RN) had to hand in his uniform, There was never any sign of it around the house after he left and it would certainly have been made use of if it was there as my parents were badly off for a while until he found work.
And, as I said like wise my OH. so maybe Sharon that is why you didn't see it on the farm. Oh and by the way both those uniforms were not square rig (bell bottoms), normal trousers and jackets and gaberdine raincoats. OH didn't have an overcoat. the number 1 suits were quite expensive material (Doeskin I think).

Dad was in the army during the war. I don’t remember that he kept much of his uniform but his long socks were great at Christmas. Mum was also in the army and kept nothing. We did have Dad’s tin hat and possibly his Sam Brown, and a very blunt bayonet.

I remember going into Biba and thinking how dark it was - too dark to see anything. So I left and crossed over to what I think was an indoor market selling clothes etc.

I don’t think newsreaders and weather presenters should wear high fashion as we need to concentrate on what they are saying rather than what they are wearing. I have to admit to being distracted by Tomas sch..…. ‘s long hair on the BBC weather.

I don’t recall a gaberdine at all - only a greatcoat on top of our bed in the mid-1950s. :-S

I have a lovely memory from around 1954-ish of Dad taking me around a submarine which was in a nearby port.