Original 1944 Dated 23d Armoured Brigade Battledress Blouse

A very nice original New Zealand made battledress blouse which belonged to a trooper in the 23rd Armoured Brigade. 

23rd Armoured Brigade fought throughout the Second World War from the 1st battle of Alamein, through Sicily, into Italy and saw action at Monte Casino. They were then deployed to Greece in 1944 and served there during the Civil War of 1945-46. The shoulders flashes most likely denote that the original owner of the jacket was part of the 23rd Armoured Brigade Signal Squadron. 

The jacket is a New Zealand made example which was made in May 1944. It is not uncommon to find Commonwealth made battledress in use with British units during the middle and end of the Second World War. It was in fact quite sought-after with many considering Commonwealth made items to be of a higher quality. Some units were issued with Commonwealth made BD due to supply routes and availability when refitting. 23rd Armoured Brigade was refitting from May 1944 until it moved to Greece in October 1944 renamed as ARKFORCE. It is possible the jacket was issued at this stage. 

The jacket is made from the standard wool serge material which has a different shade of green to it than British made examples.It is modelled on the British 1940 Pattern jacket which has no exposed buttons. It features a wire waist belt buckle at the waist and the interior features two pockets. One of these is the standard oval-shaped New Zealand date stamp which bears the date of May 1944 along with the New Zealand War Department marking. There is also a size stamp which denotes the jacket as a size 15. 

The jacket comes complete with its original insignia which has all been sewn by the same hand with the same thread which suggests they were all added to the jacket at the same time. Cotton grosgrain shoulder flashes are fitted to the epaulettes in Royal Signals colours of white over blue. Embroidered 23rd Armoured Brigade formation badges are fitted to each sleeve and a Mother Tank badge with heavily trimmed border is fitted to the right sleeve. 

The jacket is in very good condition as can be seen in the pictures. It displays very well with only limited signs of wear and use and there are no serious flaws or damage. It is a vintage, pre-owned item however so may have small flaws commensurate with age. 

A very nice original battledress blouse which would make an excellent addition to any collection.