Uniform help required

[Banshee_09]

Hi all,

My other half is a cadet officer badged RA, she's taking part in Rememberence Sunday in france this year and needs full no.2 dress, we have the tunic and skirt but we need the following,

Female Officers Peak Cap
Brown Gloves
Royal Artillery No.2 Dress Buttons
Cross Belt
Shoulder Titles
Collar Dogs

Not asking for these buckshee, but if anyone knows the NSN so we can indent for them, or knows a decent PRI/Tailors so we can buy them it would be appreciated.

 

[Jimmy1234]

www.cadetkitshop.com

This sites great for the little bits and bobs, just takes a while to find them. Send the guys an email or ring them and they will be more than helpful.

 

[Banshee_09]

cheers jimmy, but checked there first, they've got a load of rifles stuff but no Female Officers RA stuff

 

[STILTS]

Mrs Stilts got her No2's from Cadet direct, but not sure if the do female SD's if your misses is a commissioned officer then they will be harder to get hold of.

Cadet Direct

Stilts

 

[d12gnr]

try contacting your local ta gunner regt/battery or the nearest gunner regt,i know that we help out our cadet unitwith kit

 

[wellyhead]

Hi all,

My other half is a cadet officer badged RA, she's taking part in Rememberence Sunday in france this year and needs full no.2 dress, we have the tunic and skirt but we need the following,

Female Officers Peak Cap
Brown Gloves
Royal Artillery No.2 Dress Buttons
Cross Belt
Shoulder Titles
Collar Dogs

Not asking for these buckshee, but if anyone knows the NSN so we can indent for them, or knows a decent PRI/Tailors so we can buy them it would be appreciated.

Question

Does she have an SD tunic or a No2 Tunic ? They are different and if she is an officer then she needs to wear Service Dress, she would look stupid in the wrong dress and I will guarantee someone will notice

The best place I know of is the YOs wing at Larkhill, they stock quite a full range of second hand SD and mess kit

 

[fatoldgunner]

Couldn't agree more, she will be able to buy at an excellent price the kit she needs off the shelf, it is what the YO's branch is for.

 

[msr]

Couldn't agree more, she will be able to buy at an excellent price the kit she needs off the shelf, it is what the YO's branch is for.

And you can always ask the Adjt there for advice.

msr

 

[Jimmy1234]

Also she should talk to her cadet county QM as they normally have good links to local Base QMs and Outlets for service uniforms...

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

Hi all,

My other half is a cadet officer badged RA, she's taking part in Rememberence Sunday in france this year and needs full no.2 dress, we have the tunic and skirt but we need the following,

Female Officers Peak Cap
Brown Gloves
Royal Artillery No.2 Dress Buttons
Cross Belt
Shoulder Titles
Collar Dogs

Not asking for these buckshee, but if anyone knows the NSN so we can indent for them, or knows a decent PRI/Tailors so we can buy them it would be appreciated.

You'd get away with an ORs cap. They appear pretty regularly on ebay (especially in the shops). Officers' ones are like Rocking Horse Poo.

She's entitled to have gloves issued through the system. Tell her to ask her CAA.

Buttons again appear pretty regularly on ebay. However, I do have some of the large size (for down the front) spare so if you PM me, I'll let you have some.

The Cross Belt will be exactly the same as the blokes pattern. YOs Branch is best for this - all you need is a chest measurement.

Shoulder titles will have to come from CadetKitShop or Cadet Direct. Did you know that RA Titles aren't worn on SD - but she will need ACF ones. Also - ACF Titles are an issue item (entitled to two pairs I think)

Collar Dogs can be had from Ebay or YOs Branch - remember it's the Bronze version you want.

 

[Outstanding]

Gieves and Hawkes will always help out, at an imaginative price.

 

[django_strikes]

Again, it depends what rank she is, but most stuff is available from the YOs shop (next to YOs branch, Larkhill, see the YOs Chief Clerk for the key and prices), if she is an Officer.

I have buttons too - but as one other ARRSER will testify, I have no memory and will forget to send stuff!

 

[wellyhead]

You'd get away with an ORs cap. They appear pretty regularly on ebay (especially in the shops). Officers' ones are like Rocking Horse Poo.

If a cadet officer can "get away" with wearing an ORs cap, does that mean I can "get away" with not saluting them ?

Also by the sounds of it they are trying to get away with wearing SDs as well, see previous post, forgive the pun but if the cap fits....

Being an officer entails all that goes with it, she wants to be one and wear the kit then get the cheque book out.

 

[django_strikes]

I am a "proper" officer and I wouldn't think twice about trying to source my kit from other areas than from tailors.

Why?

Because the tailors charge one frik of a lot for something that I can get elsewhere - either from service leaving friends, or the YOs shop. It is still tailor made kit, I wouldn't buy stuff that didn't fit (and nobody's unfiorm retains made-to-measure form after a few years - people generally change shape).

My personal experience - ripped off by Goldings when at Sandhurst:

"of course Sir, there is ample material sewn into the jacket to allow later alterations",
followed by
"no sir, we never leave any extra - you need a new jacket"
and this was from Sandhurst to a point less than a year later, after I had beasted myself in prep for AACC and my shoulders got broader (admittedly following injury on said course I may have added to my girth in other areas - hence needing bigger kit).

so, I initially bought from YOs shop. I then got an even better set of SD from my mucker who left and I had it tailored to me. Hard choice it was too - £50 and a beer or £600 for a tailor?

I did however dip into my pocket for a blues jacket to get married in. No bugger was my size to buy one from and I considered it a useful purchase. Went to a different and (IMHO) better tailor - service was outstanding.

So to imply that the Cadet Officer (presumably and ACF officer, not an Officer Cadet spelt wrong?) in question is crap by not wanting to spend £600 plus on SD and trimmings seems a little harsh.

Or am I just a pikey? If so then I am along with nearly every officer I know who has done similar things to augment their uniform throughout the years...

 

[wellyhead]

No not a Pikey and I don't blame any YO in trying to source kit cheaper, if you read up the page I'm the one who suggested the YOs branch

My point is, if you read between the lines,is that a commissioned officer, be they Reg, TA or ACF, should wear the correct uniform, it doesn't matter a jot where it came from or how it was bastardized, what is wrong however it states she has No2s not service dress and it has been suggested she could get away with a No2 dress hat as well. To me that's pants, what next ? Can't afford a cloth cap-badge so lets wear a stay bright one instead, it won't matter, perhaps ?

I might be being pedantic to some but if you spend some time on the ACF board on one of the many "should I salute ACF officers ?" thread you will see the claim they are officers and thus should. SDs/No2s/mess dress etc are added extras for ACF members, they source it out their own pocket for reasons of their own, I'm not knocking that but if you are going to do it, do it correctly or wear the uniform you are issued with in the first place.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

You'd get away with an ORs cap. They appear pretty regularly on ebay (especially in the shops). Officers' ones are like Rocking Horse Poo.

If a cadet officer can "get away" with wearing an ORs cap, does that mean I can "get away" with not saluting them ?

Also by the sounds of it they are trying to get away with wearing SDs as well, see previous post, forgive the pun but if the cap fits....

Being an officer entails all that goes with it, she wants to be one and wear the kit then get the cheque book out.

From your previous posts, I thought you'd know better than some of the other pond life that inhabits this site.

Bearing in mind that the ACF uniform grant is rather less than £400 (I'm not sure how this measures up to other grants?) I suggested the hat for two simple reasons:

1. Female Officer hats are extremely rare. I check ebay pretty regularly for such items as I have quite a few friends in my county on the look out for kit.

2. The male officer's hat is a different shape from the OR's, this isn't the case with fems. It's simply slightly heavier material. For an ACF Officer (who is very unlikely to wear it more than a couple of times a year), the price difference says it all.

I would further say that buying a No.2 Dress and having it converted would be pretty cost effective as opposed to buying a brand new SD. I know many WOs go down this route on Commissioning, would you like to tell one of them how much of a cheapskate they are? I WOULD NOT however, advocate an Officer wearing an unconverted No.2 Dress. I agree that, if they're playing the part, they should look the part.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

I have buttons too - but as one other ARRSER will testify, I have no memory and will forget to send stuff!

That deserves a Paxmanesque style "Yeeeeeeees!"

 

[wellyhead]

Harry,

Thank you for your comments about previous posts, as you, I hope, have gather I have no axe to grind over the ACF and in fact have been supportive of the organisation where I started my military adventure from (check any post ref ACF wearing capbadges)

As stated I have no issue in anybody looking to save money, just as long as they have the right kit, if there is no difference in OR and officer female caps then great ,carry on. I have very little experience of them tell you the truth (female caps not females of course ), tell you the truth, apart from the capbadge I know not what difference the male caps are either

As for converted No2s, have to say I have never heard of that in the Regs, but then again you don't pay for No2s, I thought SDs was a different material beyond the pockets and cuffs. But at least you agree with me that unconverted kit is pure wnak.

When someone steps up its one of those factors he/she has to bear in mind , I had a chat with a lad looking at doing his Pot Sgts course and was seriously considering against it due to the cost of mess dress, again another thing to consider when taking the rank.

The whole point of my last post is to stop someone making an absolute tit of themselves by wearing OR kit, if she did that and it was pointed out to her 2 things will happen either

1. She will say "Oh sorry, is there a difference then ?" and look stupid or
2. She will moan about the fact she couldn't get the right stuff off EBay and look worse


Anyway by the time I'm eligible for a LE I doubt No2s will still be around and everyone is in FAD.

 

[django_strikes]

Harry - sorry again - I have now found the buttons (again - we had to effectively move outof our quarter again so that they could replace the carpet that had holes in when we moved in - I WILL SEND BUTTONS!!)

Wellyhead - I agree with you and what you say does make sense - If the TA uniform allowance is only £400, an individual could easily buy most (if not all) of their kit from the YOs shop, with change in hand (a considerable amount I'd wager). They would also have an Adjt on hand to advise if it is suitable and the YOs Chief Clerk, with many years experience, to suggest exactly what is needed.

This may then allow new hats to be purchased...

 

[Cuddles]

Gieves and Hawkes will always help out, at an imaginative price.

You do them an injustice. I have always found their prices defy imagination! and if their marketing supremos are reading, what the c0ck makes you think I want a perfectly nice patterned shirt or tie, which suddenly turns into a soccer club one, with an embroidered sword? Branding is not really necessary for a business that has a reputation...