Battledress blouse: Lt Col LEWIS, Royal Engineers, 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

Steve,
Could you provide a link so I can order this record?
You are right: this is the only way I can be sure this was J W Lewis's BD blouse.

 

As Chris mentioned above based on the TD this must date to later than 1950, considering the changes 50 Div went through late 44-through 45 when I believe it was largely stripped to provide reinforcements to other units - along with post- War buggering about with units I'd say its unlikely he would have been with the Division from 1944 to post 1950.

 

As the medal ribbon is in between a France and Germany Star ribbon and a War Medal 1939-1945 ribbon, it is bound to be a Defense Medal, whatever its colours may be.

 

Yes, I have also contemplated the idea that 50th Division might have been Lt Col Lewis's final assignment, at the very end of the 1940s, which would be quite logical.

 

At any rate, this BD blouse (if authentic!) cannot be later than 1953, because of the Tudor crown on the shoulder straps.

 

Not necessarily, the change in Monarch didn't immediately change the stock of crowns in stores, if already fitted I'm not sure how urgently men were made to change them

 

Some more pictures...







Definitely Canadian made...





The question I would like to ask is whether the actual use of Canadian battledresses (or should I write battle dresses?) by British officers has ever been reported before D-Day?

 

After months of looking here and there for the different elements to put this mannequin together, here is my Royal Engineers officer landing on Gold Beach on D-Day. What I now need is to know whether the whole set-up is a realistic view of an RE officer on 6 June 1944 - there are some obvious flaws: the decoration ribbons, in the first place, the fact that the trousers, though Canadian made and dated 1943, are a browner hue than the blouse, which was also made in Canada in 1943, and so on.

The mismatched blouse and trousers are a matter of concern to me, as I have doubts about the likelihood of an officer wearing colours that do not match.