United Kingdom. An Raf Service Uniform To An Air Chief Marshal, C.1960

The tunic is fabricated from a grayish-blue wool-cotton blend, each of the shoulders adorned with a shoulder board bearing the crowned ERII cypher and held in place at the neck end via a silvered button, each of which bears a crown above the RAF eagle, with the stitching securing the board on the left shoulder having come away at the shoulder end. The front has five pockets, one on each breast which have decorative straps giving them a pleated-look, along with two larger ones at the waist, all four pockets with a fold over flap with silvered buttons, each of which bears a crown above the RAF eagle and maker marked "GAUNT LONDON", the two breast pockets also with dual snap closures added. An additional small flap-less pocket appears between the two right side pockets. Above the left pocket, is a King's crown Royal Air Force Pilot's badge, in white and brown embroidery, on a black wool base, with a four-level Ribbon Bar immediately below (Most Honourable Order of the Bath / Royal Victorian Medal; Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Military Division; Air Force Medal; and 1939-1945 Star / Atlantic Star with Silver Rosette; Defence Medal; War Medal 1939-1945 with MID Oak Leaf; and General Service Medal 1918-1962 / General Service Medal 1962-2007; Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1952-1977; Belgium: Order of the Crown with Silver Palm; and Belgium: Croix de Guerre 1940 with Bronze Palm). The left breast pocket has two horizontal loops sewn in place, one above the other, where an award previously existed. The front is completed by a vertical row of three large silvered buttons on the right side, each of which bears a crown above the RAF eagle and is maker marked "GAUNT LONDON". A smaller plain copper-finished button appears just below the last button and is maker marked "PITT & Co.". All four buttons face an equal number of reinforced buttonholes on the left side. There are two thin gray straps on sewn in place on either side at the rear, along with a brass hook above the left waist pocket, which support a wide grayish-blue wool-cotton blend belt, the left end housing a large silvered metal dual prong buckle, the right end with three rows of two holes each to be fed through the buckle, allowing for an adjustable fit, and aided by a snap closure. Each cuff bears the rank piping of an Air Chief Marshal, the tunic single-vented at the rear.

The tunic comes with an aiguillette, the cord fabricated from a fine gold-coloured aluminum wire interlaced with a light blue embroidery, with both ends incorporating gold-coloured metal tips, each of the ball caps on the tips with a mesh cap in fine twisted gold-coloured wire. The inside is lined in a gray rayon, a top-entry pocket on the right breast, with a manufacturer's label sewn in place inside the pocket inscribed "Gieves LIMITED LONDON", with the owner's surname having been blacked out but the initials "T. N." and the service number "85/21938." remaining, along with a large "1" in handwritten blue ink, while the sleeves are lined in a bluish-white rayon. A strap for hanging the tunic from a hook is sewn in place in the collar, the tunic measuring 460 mm across the shoulders x 790 mm in length. The accompanying trousers are also fabricated from the same grayish-blue coloured wool blend as the tunic. They come with a zippered fly and a hook and bar closure above at the waist, ensuring a snug fit. There are a series of six bluish-black plastic buttons spaced in pairs at intervals around the waist. It has two white cotton-lined pockets, one on each side at the front with a traditional hip-side entry, and is partially-vented at the rear. Inside, the waistband is fabricated from a gray rayon, with a white cotton strap sewn in place on the left side with two reinforced buttonholes, plus a bluish-black plastic button at the front. There is a manufacturer's label sewn in place at the rear inscribed "Gieves LIMITED LONDON", with the owner's surname having been blacked out but the initials "T. N." and the service number "85/21938." remaining, along with a large "M" in handwritten blue ink. The manufacturer's label and owner's information matches that of the one that appears in the tunic. The trousers measure 900 mm around the waist x 1,140 mm in length overall, with a hole in the left leg. Both the tunic and trousers with intact stitching and are very clean, other than the staining evident on the white pockets of the trousers. Better than very fine.