Metric Label 1977 Type Para Smock

Pics attached of the latest addition to the smock collection. Snagged on eBay for a fairly reasonable 20 quid delivered as the seller didn't know what it was and photographed it badly.

Looks like it's from the same HE Textiles batch as this one that Eaglehurst posted a couple of years ago:

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?26042-Early-Pattern-DPM-Para-Smock

A quirk I like is that the lower pockets and both sides of the crotch flap are made from 'dotty' DPM whereas the rest isn't I could believe looking at the colours that the 'dotty' fabric is sateen and the 'non-dotty' is modal. It also looks like it's had parachute wings glued on it at some point. No doubt the notch out of the side of the crotch flap was made by an Argentinian bullet at Goose Green...:-D

Cheers,

Mark

PS. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page, there's some interesting information about HE Textiles:

http://raoc.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5816423&goto=nextnewest

Yep, I've got more info on HE Textiles from the early 80s stating that they were given a massive combat clothing order by the MoD for DPM gear.............

I have had a few para smocks in my time that were constructed similarly with non-matched DPM component parts.......

Beautiful example - well done !!!

Nice find, so far a reasonably priced Para smock has elluded my collection,still one day .One of my gs 68 pattern gs smocks has matched material with slightly differnt shade and dot pattern on the arms,and rest of smock the non dotted print.(this was an H Lottery,made smock).

Thanks for the comments. I forgot to ask: is gluing badges on common / normal? I've turned it inside out and it looks like the tips of the now missing parachute qualification wings had a stitch through them to hold in place, but the wings weren't stitched on 'properly' around the edge.

Also; I'm mulling over replacing the missing wings - do later 1970's / early 1980's wings have any distinguishing features?

Thanks,

Mark

I forgot to ask: is gluing badges on common / normal? I've turned it inside out and it looks like the tips of the now missing parachute qualification wings had a stitch through them to hold in place, but the wings weren't stitched on 'properly' around the edge.

Certainly not uncommon Mark although older pre-80s gear was usually sewn. I traded a 59 Patt smock a few years ago that had glue marks on the upper sleeves. Unfortunately can leave a bit of a mess when you remove the patches. I have also seen pleanty of modern smocks with badges/patches glued on using Wunderweb which is basically a material made of glue that melts and bonds two fabrics together when heat from an iron is applied. Not a big fan of it myself...

Update: I took the plunge and bought an allegedly Falklands era pair of parachute qualification wings via eBay. I attach some comparison pics with the wings with on my pre-metric labelled 1977 Type Para Smock on the right which I think are contemporary to the smock.

I haven't attached the new wings yet, I've just posed them over the glue marks.

Cheers,

Mark