Falklands Issue Reversable Jacket ?

[AlienFTM]

Yes definitely used and seen in some well known photos from the conflict. Marines and Paras certainly had them from a quick look at google.

 

Regards

 

Paul

 

With respect, I find it hard to believe that "Falklands F/W Reversable Grn White Smock" was available for issue for the war of 82. There were what 60? marines on the islands when it kicked off and the Task Force was halfway down south in the blink of an eye.

 

I find it hard to believe that there was a depot somewhere with a brigade's worth of Falklands-specific smocks occupying shelf space ready to hand out willy-nilly just like that. Especially if you remember that just a couple of years previously, there hadn't been any reloads for the AAMs in RAFG, there was three days' worth of fuel for BAOR (BAOR armour spent the winter of 80-81 locked up in the hangars, filled up after the FTX season and next filled up in March. I know, I was there. Funnily enough just last week I stumbled across Regimental Journals of 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars at http://www.lightdragoons.org.uk/downloads.html which describe this nicely. 1980 edition, Page 31:

 

the lst Br¡t¡sh Corps Exercise Spearpoint in September; and to round the year off, the subsequent defence spending

freeze which is, of course, still with us.

 

). There are no parkas for the West German winter (I know - I froze every year). But don't worry chaps. There's plenty of foul-weather gear for the Falkland Islands.

 

I'll give you two possibilities.

 

1. There was available by private purchase a foul weather smock remarkably like the one described here, that marines and Paras had bought, which they took with them. (I have seen very little footage from the war which shows anything other than the standard kit we all owned, and had we been invited, I am sure that's what we would have taken.)

 

2. With the islands re-garrisoned, I'll bet they started churning out foul weather smocks especially for the Falklands. The existing design had obviously worked: copy them.

 

Consider. If you buy a TOFFS football shirt commemorating Sunderland's FA victory over Leeds, the shirt will be marked Sunderland AFC F.A. Cup Winners 1973. However, this is not the shirt they wore at the FA Cup Final. It read Sunderland AFC F.A. Cup Final 1973. Subtle difference?

Edited June 8, 2012 by AlienFTM

[wdbikemad]

The green/white reversible nylon waterproof combat smock and trousers were introduced well before the Falklands war.....around 1976-77 as part of the new arctic combat clothing including the DPM windpoofs and quilted liners......

 

Photographic evidence does show the green/white reversibles in use during the conflict, alongside the arctic windproofs and liners..........it seems that the bulk of such issues went to the Paras and Marines........5 Brigade, including the Guards and Gurkhas, appear not to have been so lucky, ending up with DPM parkas, some quilted trousers, and an assortment of nylon waterproofs ranging from the green RAF foul weather suit, DPM NI-type crisp-packets and nylon ponchos........

 

I would imagine that stores depots such as Bicester, etc, held stocks of arctic clothing that was "priority" demanded (eg - available within days).....as were stocks of arctic clothing in Naval stores for Marines, etc, who had regular northern NATO deployments where such kit was required..........but all of this was clearly limited as there were not sufficient stocks to equip all troops........

[Panzer nut]

Reversables were indeed in the Falklands, A look through the 1982 dated cavandish Falklands series of magazines shows numerous people wearing them. A mortar crew springs to mind. Was it not the commando's taht had just completed a Artic excersie just as they left for the Falklands so still had all the artic kit.

Jon

[Panzer nut]

ALSO please remember which is one main contributing fact and regulary forgotten

THE ROYAL MARINES ARE NOT ARMY they are NAVY

And the Navy precurred their kit seperatly from the Army and because of this they tended to have kit in service before the Army (Hilegs) and proberly prurchased fould weatehr kit way ahead of the Army.

[MHillyard]

Jacket and trousers on ebay

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FALKLANDS-ERA-ROYAL-MARINES-PARAS-REVERSIBLE-GREEN-WHITE-TROUSERS-WATERPROOFS-/221056426874?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item3377fd637a

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Falklands-era-Royal-Marines-Paras-reversible-green-white-smock-combat-/221056416247?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item3377fd39f7

[Panzer nut]

Very Nice and they are fat bugger sizes, but again post falklands and they have the tapes inside in white.

Jon

[Scotch Harry]

Quote off another forum-----

 

just been to my supplier of piled high surplus

 

Bought some unissued DMS boots size 11/12/13/14

 

and found a pile of unissued

 

TROUSERS COMBAT

(Reversible olive drab/white)

CM8415-99-130-2136

SIZE 86/112/124

B.I.L

 

And......

 

SMOCK COMBAT

Reversible olive drab/white

CM8415-99-130-2131

SIZE 170/112

 

Looks like he has stumbled onto a potential Gold Mine but they really should be described as Post Falklands:undecided:

[Eaglehurst]

Should be Falklands era as it is in old 1,2,3 Small, Medium, Large sizing. Suffering from the dreaded flaking on the white side although the tapes are in pretty good condition.

 

[Eaglehurst]

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread!:red:

 

Another example - same contract number but size 'Large'....label pic attached.

 

[Edward53]

Nice! Those two must be 1977-78 with that contract number. You see these on ebay every so often but they always seem to be post-1982.

[Edward53]

A recent lucky find for a very reasonable sum: one of these in near NOS condition, material still quite flexible with no flaking and only a few spots of white surface loss. Size is Large for which read Huge. The jacket still has a papercloth size tag on the outside and appears unissued.

 

[Falklands1982]

Nice smock Edward, here is the one that I got the other day

 

 

[Scotch Harry]

A new stash must have been unearthed as not seen any in a while and a few on Ebay at the moment.

[webkitlover]

possibly off subject but I have come across an RAF (survival) reversible 58" poncho green/white, I wndered if it was from the same period?

 

[Edward53]

4 hours ago, webkitlover said:

possibly off subject but I have come across an RAF (survival) reversible 58" poncho green/white, I wndered if it was from the same period?

 

A photo of the label or markings would help.

[webkitlover]

Hi yup, I copied the photos fron the net, not sure where, possibly e-bay or worthpoint?

As you can see it's almost identical to the 58" poncho design. (it's missing the studs to fix onto the sleeping bag and the cgromets are not dulled brass. I believe is similar material to the PU coated Royal Marine kit, shame it wasn't a general army issue thing.

I assume it's just a simple PU coating, in which case they could have done a sand or urban brick colour too, someone missed a big sales trick there!

[webkitlover]

Ok I'm being a bit dim, I zoomed in on the store refs, the manufacture date appears to be 1990? difficult to tell but definately 1990's.

[Edward53]

5 minutes ago, webkitlover said:

Ok I'm being a bit dim, I zoomed in on the store refs, the manufacture date appears to be 1990? difficult to tell but definately 1990's.

Yes clearly 1990-something, 6 or 8 apparently. No contract number so I can't add anything to that.

[webkitlover]

Hi I found several photos, of the reversable jacket being used in anger, (some photos are clearer than others) all of the photos were taken during the Falklands war.

All of the jacket users shown are Royal Marines.

The photos were copied from the publications as mentioned before: 

"War in the Falklands,The campaign in pictures, By the Sunday express Magazine team"

and

"The Falklands war,  Marshall Cavendish Magazine"

On the colour photos the jacket is obvious but the black and white ones you can see the stark white inside of the collar.

The white is clearly visible even on the poor quality photos with the green side outer,  and I'm assuming that on occasion the flash of white on rainy days was found to be too visible and gave away positions in a mostly green brown temperate background, and  the reversable jacket idea was eventually binned in favour of DPM and overwhites. also Breathable materials were just becoming available which trump PU coated nylon.

Edited March 4, 2019 by webkitlover

[43rdrecce]

Not all users were Royal Marines. These reversible green/white suits were issued to 2 Para who were also part of 3 Cdo Brigade for most of the campaign. They were also used by Gunners of 29 Cdo Regt, Royal Artillery, who were also part of 3 Cdo Bde.

Your first and third photos show 2 Para, not Royal Marines. See the attached photos. Both show men of 2 Para in these smocks. In the second photo is Major General Chip Chapman (then Lt. 2 Para)

[Scotch Harry]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cape-Poncho-MK3-IRVIN-GQ-LTD-olive-white-winter-concerts-festival-fishing/283373369991?hash=item41fa5e7a87:g:qlMAAOSwSk5cYCFI

 

[webkitlover]

that looks like the one,  as for Paras using the reversible kit, I can understand Royal Marines being issued kit and it staying "Navy issue" but The Paras too, they were always rivals! I'm surprised it didn't filter down into squaddies Gucci kit, pretty much all the rest of the Para related gear did!

[Foxhound]

these were RM and AMF(L) Army issue jackets for Norway, before goretex.  they were waterproof but not breathable.  I only ever wore one to dig snow holes.

[webkitlover]

cool, I'll keep a look out for them, I have seen a mint condition RAF OG waterproof in a charity shop from the same era, so it's quite possible there are unused reversible ones are still around.