Scotch Harry Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Perfect timing for me for a changed and bagged this bargain. Im not one to get excited by DPM colours etc but must say the colours on this(for a Para Smock) are amazing. Cuffs have unfortunately gone and the zip looks like it is a replacement(old Lightning)zip but love it,my best Para Smock by far. Pics on the way as soon as I can,anybody able to ID the shoulder patch please? Many Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Harry Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Crappy camera on my phone do not do the pics justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boots dms Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 That's a very nice smock,brilliant colours.Can,t help with the trf badge though,its an unusual one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward53 Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I love it when a really nice item like that comes along AND it's a bargain. Those early dpm smocks are now practically impossible to find at any price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I can't I'D the patch I'm afraid. Nice to see a name tape though. I had a 60 pattern smock with a name tape on and was in mixed minds as to how authentic it was to see that on a 70s British item. The dpm is a nice shade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Badge is 19th Brigade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Harry Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Many Thanks to all who have replied and will have to do some research on 19th Brigade. Had my suspicions that it was a non Parachute Regiment smock due to the wings being sewn quite low? and no evidence of a DZ patch having been sewn underneath. Im not one of these who like to gloat about prices like some do but thought all my Christmas,s had come at once when it arrived. Was doing a quick casual Ebay search last week when this popped up as a Buy It Now for £8.50+£3.00 postage so was crapping myself trying to hit the buy button before I was sure somebody else would,didnt even check out all the pics or the description as figured out that whatever it turned out to be,at that price was worth the gamble. Believe me,I am NEVER that lucky unlike the people who always manage to find gems at car boot sales for a £1 so am well happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I had a similar experience on Ebay only a few months ago now.......an early DPM para smock in really good condition and on a buy-it-now for an amazing price........metric size equivalent to the old Size 3, and although metric sized, H E Textiles made, mixed early dotted and non-dotted sateen fabric, cloth NZ zip and Newey- marked press studs........cuffs are original too............got it straight away and a real bargain......I reckon this is 1978-79 manufacture, no FFD pocket, etc.............final two images show my early Size 2 F Fryer para smock and although more faded than Harry's is from the same contract I believe in a really striking shade of DPM............everything original on this one too, including zip and cuffs, etc.........:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Harry Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Goes to show that bargains ARE out there but I am not generally that lucky or jammy most of the times. Was watching last week also a job lot that looked from the pics to include what Im sure was one of those pre metric labelled "Falklands" Parkas with a Pre Metric labelled liner as well which I didnt think existed. Needles to say on my limited low budget I missed out but still went fairly cheap IF it was what I thought it was. Not sure if winner is a member on here but they knew what they were buying as they also won a poorly described early composite Para Helmet-bloody snatched both away from me,heeeeehhh,no hard feelings as my bid was fairly low on both but always worth a punt. Wish I could afford to spend more on my collection but just cannot justify the money involved when have more important things that need buying and paying for unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 The aforementioned kit snatcher was me! My apologies :shocked: And yes you were right, it was indeed the uber scarce first type dpm parka, 1972. Size 9. The liner was a mystery to me as I would have thought size 2 was way too small for a size 9 tent, but it fits. Best of all, the parka and liner are both unused condition and it has the separate neck/face press stud liner piece attached to the hood, which I have never seen before. The parka and liner are matching makers and contracts. I was delighted to win, and have never seen the complete set before. The helmet was also one I expected to have to pay a lot more for. I went for it for the strap assembly primarily, but now it has arrived, it is actually in a lot better shape than he said. I think he under sold and under described it actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 [ATTACH=CONFIG]110175[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110176[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110177[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110178[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110179[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110180[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110181[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110182[/ATTACH] I had a similar experience on Ebay only a few months ago now.......an early DPM para smock in really good condition and on a buy-it-now for an amazing price........metric size equivalent to the old Size 3, and although metric sized, H E Textiles made, mixed early dotted and non-dotted sateen fabric, cloth NZ zip and Newey- marked press studs........cuffs are original too............got it straight away and a real bargain......I reckon this is 1978-79 manufacture, no FFD pocket, etc.............final two images show my early Size 2 F Fryer para smock and although more faded than Harry's is from the same contract I believe in a really striking shade of DPM............everything original on this one too, including zip and cuffs, etc.........:-D I would agree 1979 manufacture. Hard to find in decent shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 In fact here are the labels if I can fathom out how to attach a photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward53 Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 There isn't much room for doubt that the H E Textiles metric smock is from 1979, see my thread on dating items from contract numbers. CT4B/203 must have been a sizeable contract as quite a few of these smocks have turned up on here and on ebay. Here's a barely-used 170/104 (= Size 2) I bought early this year for £40 which I thought was a very good price, not quite in the same bargaindom league as the Size 1 above but early metric smocks are just as valid for the Falklands campaign and still undervalued: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Here's my bargain of the year from 1978. The cloth shade is actually quite deep, but the condition is incredible. I wonder when they went from the 2 part to the 1 part label? I don't think it was at metric, as I am sure I have seen 1 part pre metric labels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Here's my bargain of the year from 1978. The cloth shade is actually quite deep, but the condition is incredible. I wonder when they went from the 2 part to the 1 part label? I don't think it was at metric, as I am sure I have seen 1 part pre metric labels. Sorry for the sideways photo, can't work out how to rotate it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Please post photos of your parka when it arrives !!!!!!!:-D I ask because I have one too, but it is missing the liner and that throat/face piece (I always wondered what those press studs on the hood were for - lol).........any images of this, plus the liner to show any differences would be most appreciated..............note that the later version of the DPM parka came in several sizes but there were only 3 sizes of liner so this was perhaps reflected in the earlier sizing/pattern too....... These early DPM parka's are very different from the later (Falkland's) issues...........the outer is made from a semi-synthetic fabric quite similar to that used currently on MTP outer clothing, etc........plus the top-pocket flaps are rectangular rather than pointed and the top-left one contains a pen-pocket like the earlier 50s and 60s green parkas..........other differences include the parka semi-lining in green nylon, and the hood having double-"Fixlok" cord adjusters rather than one as on later issues..........note too the studs on the hood to fit that neck/face piece.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Harry Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 And until now,here was me thinking I was the only person with one of these:nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 And until now,here was me thinking I was the only person with one of these:nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut::nut:. You certainly don't see many. I have not seen any for sale. They are definitely a piece worth hanging onto. The build quality is cerainly superior to what ended up as the mass production model, and it is interesting to see what was "dropped" from this initial design. I really like it, but it is noticebly noisy compared to the cotton parka. It seems that all attempts to waterproof it were dropped, along with the throat piece and double cords, and pen pocket. The waterproof thing kind of makes sense, as there is little point having a half hearted attempt at adding waterproofing to some parts of a garment, but not all of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Please post photos of your parka when it arrives !!!!!!!:-D I ask because I have one too, but it is missing the liner and that throat/face piece (I always wondered what those press studs on the hood were for - lol).........any images of this, plus the liner to show any differences would be most appreciated..............note that the later version of the DPM parka came in several sizes but there were only 3 sizes of liner so this was perhaps reflected in the earlier sizing/pattern too....... These early DPM parka's are very different from the later (Falkland's) issues...........the outer is made from a semi-synthetic fabric quite similar to that used currently on MTP outer clothing, etc........plus the top-pocket flaps are rectangular rather than pointed and the top-left one contains a pen-pocket like the earlier 50s and 60s green parkas..........other differences include the parka semi-lining in green nylon, and the hood having double-"Fixlok" cord adjusters rather than one as on later issues..........note too the studs on the hood to fit that neck/face piece.......... [ATTACH=CONFIG]110208[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110207[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110206[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110209[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110210[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110211[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110212[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110213[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110214[/ATTACH] Sure thing WD, will do, it is hanging in the wardrobe I will put some photo's up when there is daylight. I think the liner is harder to find than the parka, and the throat piece is the first I have seen. I imagine that the few that existed were binned over the years. Size 2 seems to fit the 9 well, so can be considered a 180 or 190 in metric length. It is broadly as you would expect, brown piping, armpit vents, velcro fasteners as opposed to buttons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Please post photos of your parka when it arrives !!!!!!!:-D I ask because I have one too, but it is missing the liner and that throat/face piece (I always wondered what those press studs on the hood were for - lol).........any images of this, plus the liner to show any differences would be most appreciated..............note that the later version of the DPM parka came in several sizes but there were only 3 sizes of liner so this was perhaps reflected in the earlier sizing/pattern too....... These early DPM parka's are very different from the later (Falkland's) issues...........the outer is made from a semi-synthetic fabric quite similar to that used currently on MTP outer clothing, etc........plus the top-pocket flaps are rectangular rather than pointed and the top-left one contains a pen-pocket like the earlier 50s and 60s green parkas..........other differences include the parka semi-lining in green nylon, and the hood having double-"Fixlok" cord adjusters rather than one as on later issues..........note too the studs on the hood to fit that neck/face piece.......... [ATTACH=CONFIG]110208[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110207[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110206[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110209[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110210[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110211[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110212[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110213[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]110214[/ATTACH] Ps it is interesting to see that all of ours share the same contract number. Is that the same with yours Scoth Harry? Perhaps it was only made under the one contract given the short time it was in production? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I had a similar bargain with a new para smock earlier this year.....decent size (metric), Dashmore clothing made, and no FFD.................. Damn...wrong images !!!!!! Too many smocks !! And another from the collection........a Size 2 H E production here..........:-D These ones are correct......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Your size 2 is the same contract as my size 5. I was amazed to find a mint/unused size 5 just hanging on a rack at a show amongst a load of junk, completely and utterly undervalued and with no appreciation of its scarcity. And even then I knocked him down a bit more!! :-) Strange addition to the story... the same dealer also offered me some Argentinian kit, which I refused point blank as I just don't collect it. Later in the day I was passing the same stall, and heard the guy (who has just sold said Argentian gear) actually insulting me to that buyer, telling him how he'd sold a smock earlier to a "young lad who turned this kit down without even looking so obviously had no idea what he was doing" and said to the guy "see that's the difference, you're a proper collector". I nearly tapped him on the shoulder and took him to task, but instead I walked off with a smile on my face as there was only one of us that day who didn't know what he was doing! :-D so sometimes even ridiculous bargains surface at shows being sold by militaria dealers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 BumpCity, we have all had those moments, me included ! Really appreciate your input into the current subject..............need detailed close-ups of your early DPM parka throat-piece plus the liner to ascertain differences for my book ! Any help most appreciated !!!!!!!!!!!!:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpCity Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 BumpCity, we have all had those moments, me included ! Really appreciate your input into the current subject..............need detailed close-ups of your early DPM parka throat-piece plus the liner to ascertain differences for my book ! Any help most appreciated !!!!!!!!!!!!:-D Sure thing, happy to assist such a project in any way, will it be a book on post war uniform? I am on nights tonight so I will work on it tomorrow, and either upload them to here or try my hand at starting a new topic. It will be interesting to see what discussion it generates as it is a barely discussed topic. I tried to contact Cookson and Clegg for info on the contract but have thus far been unsuccessful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch Harry Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 Just having a rummage/sort out and have come accross another DPM Para Smock that I didnt know I had,METRIC sized and,NO FFD pocket and no stitch marks etc to indicate its removal. Label is somewhat faded but can make out 170/96 ??????& CO maybe and CT4B/258?? NZ zip,non maker marked pop studs(ring type). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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