ALL ORIGINAL Irvin RAF type Jackets - Loving that Wolf in sheeps' clothing!

[Andyboy]

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[Andyboy]

sorry, tried to post some pictures but failed..:-(

 

[Dr H]

Nice Arts and Crafts chair Andrew - can't quite make it out, any idea of the designer/maker?

 

[Andyboy]

A few pictures of my early Irvin which I bought on ebay a few weeks ago. As the leather was dry in most areas I have given it some pecards to look more shiny again. There´s still some repairing to do as the stiching on both ends of the collar is ripped open. Also I really would like to have leather pullers on the zippers. Guess I should by a pair of wrecked Irvin trousers to use the leather for it..Hope you enjoy the pics;-)

 

[aswatland]

Thanks for the pics of your pre-War Irvin Air Chute jacket. With a bit of restoration it will be a nice, wearable jacket. The Dot British zips are rarer than the Dot made in England variety. The jacket most likely dates from the period 1938-9. You can make the correct pullers from the cow hide used to make Irvin trouser pockets.

 

[aswatland]

Andrew,

Thanks. Yes, these Wareings are fine jackets.

I often wonder why zips (ostensibly from the same maker and similar periods) have different stopper boxes, some plain (like mine) and some marked as yours is. I have heard it discussed that the bronze-coloured Lightning pullers that you see occasionally go along with plain stopper boxes, but I've seen enough Dot pullers with plain stopper boxes on what appear to be original zips to question this. What do you think?

A slight aside, I've examined a lot of non-AM (e.g. Army) gear from WW2 with the same style of zip (tank suits, airborne smocks etc.) that have the same style of zip but with plain stopper boxes and usually just a broad arrow mark on the puller, so there is no way (AFAIK) to tell who made them. I wonder if Dot produced both types and occasionally the plain (Army) ones found their way into AM jacket production?

By the way, the latest example of this type of stopper box I have ever seen was on a 1960 pattern combat smock dated 1963.

By the way (another small aside) for general information, the same style and size of nickel Lightning zip was used until the late 1990s by a manufacturer of footwear in Somerset. A lot were sold off locally when they finished production and they turn up in NOS condition regularly - an excellent replacement for Irvin sleeve zips, especially if you can get someone to engrave the AM mark and crown on the obverse of the puller.

H.J. As you know the whole subject of zips is such a tricky subject. I have seen examples of all the zips you mention and sadly can't help you here. I am interested in exactly when Dot zips with the slider bucket stamped with "British" were first used. I have seen the"Made in England" variety used on the earliest Irvins and assumed the "British" ones date from the late '30s onwards. Perhaps they were not made in England, but elsewhere in the UK when the demand for zips increased from 1938 onwards when the expansion of the RAF gathered pace.

 

[kowalski]

Andyboy:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[aswatland]

Nice Arts and Crafts chair Andrew - can't quite make it out, any idea of the designer/maker?

Ian, The chairs in the background are original Arts and Crafts chairs, but I have no idea who made them.

 

[Dr H]

Could you send me a pic or two please Andrew (especially of the splat at the back - the incised design looks familiar, shape of feet, profile of back leg, shape of finials)? I'll see if I can turn any information up for you from my library.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Machine wash! Good christ. FFS:eusa_doh:

CRETINS

This one belongs to a friend of mine who bought it recently. The previous owner had machine washed it. It has shrunk from a size 2 to a -2! BTW its a late War Links made jacket.

 

[Andyboy]

Thanks for the information Andrew! Hope to get a pair of those trousers in the near future..

 

[Spitfire]

Andyboy - that is one fine jacket!!!

 

[B-24J]

My first Irvin

My late war RAF gear has taken a big leap forward!

After saving up for a long time, I've finally purchased an original Irvin. I liked the way that the collar fleece is so close in color to the long fleece of the jacket.

Should I clean the verdigris? What method is recommended?

Thanks, John

 

[Andyboy]

Very nice jacket! It seems to have the thickest fleece I´ve ever seen. Do you know which year it was made?

 

[aswatland]

Very nice Links-made Irvin John. Links was a large volume maker throughout the War. Your jacket dates from 1943-5 and is most likely made from surplus Irvin trousers.

 

[aswatland]

For a little bit of fun would anyone like to guess the exact date of this jacket?

 

[John Lever]

1939

 

[aswatland]

No.

 

[John Lever]

1938

 

[aswatland]

1938

Why do you think it could be this date John?