Weird jacket

[Tobus]

Good find with that photo, Richard! That looks like it, with the only difference being the buttons on the gauntlet cuffs. So do we think this is a bona fide uniform jacket for a pipe band?

[OC Richard]

I suppose. If there was just one I would think that it was a one-off, somebody taking an existing ordinary Battle Dress blouse and modifying it.

But since entire pipe bands were wearing these, and since the sleeves appear to be ordinary jacket sleeves (straight, not bloused into a cuff-band like shirt sleeves) it appears that at least one firm was making and selling these as pipe band uniform jackets.

If you look back at photos of civilian pipe bands in the USA in the post-WWII era you'll see that many of them were wearing Battle Dress blouses or their American copies, Ike Jackets. It was a fad back then.

Here's the pipe band of The Black Watch in the 1950s wearing the 1949 pattern Battle Dress blouse. You can see how the sleeves are gathered/bloused into the button cuffs much like shirts are made.

[Bruce Scott]

Hardly of much importance to the discussion but I recall members of the Australian Air Training Corps in the 1960s wearing a mix of battle dress jackets, some with this type of cuff although the majority had buttoned version.

[OC Richard]

Wow thanks for that!

So Battle Dress blouses were being produced with straight (jacket) sleeves with a number of cuff treatments. Interesting.

I suppose it's simply part of Battle Dress' steady evolution from a baggy dowdy comfortable practical combat dress to a sort of Service Dress tunic with suit-like lapels and, sometimes, straight suit-like sleeves.

Here are 1949 Battle Dress blouses worn as a smart uniform (with collared shirt and necktie) by Highland soldiers

[Bruce Scott]

Here's the current Australian Army version with zippered front, elasticized waist and straight cuff

[OC Richard]

That would look smart with the kilt!

And it appears to be lighter-weight fabric, better for our warm California weather.

[CollinMacD]

Here is an Ike Jacket that can be purchased today:


Here is the Jacket in question on EBAY:


Appears to be basically the same jacket with a few new buttons and cuff alterations done, with bottom button gone replaced with hook and eyes, looks like an modification of an Ike Jacket. These were very popular in New England Drum and Pipe bands during the 60's and 70's, they came in olive, grey, black, tan, and navy blue. Even the drum and bugle corps would wear them, for example the Drum and Bugle Core 27th Lancers wore tan Ike Jackets. FYI, the hooks you see on the bottom are used to clip onto the bottom of the drummer's support belt holding the drum, so jacket does not ride up over the belt when marching causing the jacket to interfering with drumming.

The IKE Jacket can be purchased in use for around $230.00 So the used jacket is cheaper.