Kitchener Blue Service Dress

[tocemma]

Hello all,

Thought I would kick off a thread on Kitchener Blue Service Dress. Please note I am only referring to blue SD conforming to the standard pattern of khaki SD in use at the time ie: Rifle patches on the shoulder and pleated pockets etc not the simplified patterns. It would be useful if any of you that have photos of this in use could post.

Attached an image of a CSM of 4th City Battalion, The Manchester Regiment. Note the use of full dress chevrons and the woven crown here. He seems to have a QSA ribbon up.

Regards

Tocemma

[Staffsyeoman]

There are bumper numbers of illustrations of the Birmingham City Battalions in Kitchener blue; buried somewhere in my files up in the Midlands (so not at hand) is a photo put in a local newspaper of one of the Companies training in Sutton Park, kids running alongside, leather equipment, shoulder titles obvious and son. Call for Terry Reeves...

[Chief_Chum]

Hi Paul,

Here are the first few which came to hand from my Suffolks collection.

My research shows that 7th and 8th (Service) Battalions were both lucky enough to receive Khaki Service Dress from the outset. 9th (Service) Battalion wore the single breasted 'postman' jackets, usually with the shoulder titles on the collars as per the collar badges thread, although a handful of them received the 4 pocket jackets just before the issue of khaki.

I also attach one photograph of 9/Suffolk showing some men in the early jackets, some in khaki and one ancient warrior in a Kitchener Blue simplified SD jacket (also in close-up). He is the only one I have come across wearing one of those in my Suffolks searches (or anywhere else for that matter). The 9/Suffolk portrait shows a soldier in the 4 pocket jacket which is very unusual for this battalion.

10/Suffolk became a Training Reserve Battalion and all appear to have received Khaki SD and the GS button cap badges.

11th (Service) Battalion - the 'Cambs-Suffolks' were issued with the Kitchener Blue 4 pocket SD jackets. I attach three photos - one of men of E Company which shows the blue kit very clearly. The photograph of a single soldier wearing very newly issued Kitchener Blue and a minty set of '14 Pattern Leather Equipment came with a heap of 11/Suffolk stuff but I have no idea if he is a Suffolk or not. No clues at all on the photo or on the back of the card. The final picture I bought thinking they were two POWs as it is a typical POW pose. It was not until I got it home and noticed the dark blue puttees that I realised that they were probably 11/Suffolk (or possibly 9/Suffolk) men.

It would be interesting if this pattern is repeated across the other battalions in the New Armies:

1st New Army - Khaki Serge Service Dress

2nd New Army - Khaki Serge Service Dress

3rd New Army - Early Kitchener Blue

4th New Army (Training Reserve) - Khaki Serge (the Reserve were to supply drafts for the first, second and third new armies so presumably had first call on khaki)

5th New Army (later renamed 4th New Army) - Kitchener Blue Service Dress (which would include your Manchesters 4th City Battalion NCO - and Phil's Birmingham City Battalions)

Cheers,

Taff