B3 body warmer / tank top???

[Edward]

Chanced across this auction recently:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=110276330259&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

Looks like somebody cut the sleeves off.... was this something that was ever done (an extra warm layer on the body, but without the bulky sleeves) in service, or is this the result of someone taking the sleeves to make one good jacket out of two needing restored?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Wish i'd seen that. I need some bits to fix up a B-3 … drats.

bk

 

[Edward]

Wish i'd seen that. I need some bits to fix up a B-3 … drats.

bk

Meant to ask you about that - take it it arrived, ok then - pics?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, it finally arrived (2 weeks to get across London?!?!?). I'll start a thread soon - of north tomorrow, so two weeks or so … Is indeed a WWII original. 3 panel back makes it 2nd pattern, or so i'm told. Red-toned finish on the outer, which apparently makes it early-ish. Weird no-maker label. I'll start a thread sometime. I'll probably sell it to partially fund an M421-A.

Re: the shearling waistcoats, i've seen an Irvin thusly treated - arms taken off by the owner. But i've also seen quite a few intended-to-be-waistcoats B3-type. No collar. Clearly constructed as a waistcoat. One ended on US eBay a little time ago.

bk

 

[aswatland]

My guess is that the sleeves were in poor condition and they were cut off by a bike to make a waistcoat to go over a Levi jacket. Many B3s like Irvins ended up as post war bike jackets and the B3 being less durable than the Irvin could easily have been altered in this way after the rider wore out the sleeves!

 

[HDRnR]

Mathew Macaunaghy wore one like that in Reign of Fire.

 

[Edward]

Hmmnn..... seems my last post on here has disaparated....

HDRnR - I remember that jacket, now, yes - actually, I think (less knowledgeable as I was then) I recall thinking it was an Irvin....

BK - do you mean the C3 shearling waistcoat - the one both Aero and ELC reproduce? I quite fancy one of those, they look really sharp.... I'm envisioning one worn in place of a regular waistcoat, under a tweed blazer on chillier days in the Autumn....