WW1 HOSPITAL WARD/BED SHIRT RARE 1916 dated.

An extremely rare British Army Hospital Ward Shirt dating from the Great War. 

This is an unissued ward shirt from World War One and has all its original metal buttons.  It does have a date stamp on the rear tail.  But unfortuately the date stamp is not fully legible.  But I strongly believe it is 1916.    This shirt only has two buttons on the front.  ( there are none missing ).  There are some storage marks on the shoulders and some tiny spots on the right hand front, that are to be expected after 100yrs.

This hospital ward shirt was issued to men of the British Army who were convalescing in hospital during WW1.  Various uniform items are now very hard to find, especially of Great War vintage. So the shirt is one of the rarest items which are missing from many collections. 

The shirt is a simple cotton unbleached cotton which features a half buttoned front, as was commonly seen during the first half of the 20th Century. It is cut wide in the body and at the shoulders to allow it to easily be put on a wounded man. There is no yoke, so the front and the rear are one piece.  The attached collar is also of particular note as it is notably large and soft unlike most shirts of the period which featured stiff detachable collars. The shirt retains all of its metal buttons throughout which are typical of the era.

The shirts were the buttons only down to mid‑chest are what British military hospitals issued for bed patients. These shirts were designed to so it can be pulled over the head easily, avoid pressure on wounds or bandages, and be laundered quickly

By contrast, the Hospital Blues white shirt (worn with the blue suit and red tie) had three button's and was a lot shorter.