ALL ORIGINAL Irvin RAF type Jackets - Loving that Wolf in sheeps' clothing!

[aswatland]

What a superb original Pride and Clark post War jacket. Just the thing to keep bear warm!

 

[Smithy]

Hi Everyone, I need Andrew's help on this one. Having done the thoroughly decent thing and purchased Roger the Bomber Command bear, he arrived resplendent in his Irvin Jacket. I am attempting to date the maunfacturer and the year of manufacture, as Roger has removed any Air Ministry labels from the jacket. It could be a Links or DGL Irvin from 1941 or 1942, however I must defer to Andrew's superior knowledge )

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj57/irvinsuit/?action=view¤t=Rogerbearsmall.jpg

Goggles look private purchase. Obviously an Auxiliary Air Force type then if he can afford his own kit.

But for goodness sake, can't he put some bloody trousers on??!! He'll get the wind blowing up a few places I'd wager he'd rather not...

 

[Otter]

Just the bear facts please!

 

[Smithy]

Now, now, there's not need to get grizzly about it.

 

[PADDY]

Just 'because' this jacket is worth a re-post..!!! Lovely

It's been very quiet here recently, so to get the thread going here are some pictures I took earlier today of three Irvins I bought earlier in the year. The first is a beautiful Wareing's jacket that dates to 1938-9. It is in superb original condition and only lacks the linen label. The zips are the unmarked Dot variety and the slider bucket is marked "Dot British".

 

[aswatland]

Thanks Paddy for extracting the Wareings pics. It is a really superb example of a pre-War Irvin. BTW The 1938 IAC jacket which is pictured a couple of pages earlier is up for sale if anyone is interested.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IRVIN-FLI...Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item3f196c5420

 

[Mk Vb]

Hello all,
I'm new to the Lounge....been passing it on my way home from the airfield for a while now, but it looks so inviting I decided to drop in. Hope I don't spill anyone's drink.
I have just received a really nice Irvin which arrived in the mail from UK last week, and I would like you all to help dating it - it has a number of similarities to Andrew's labelled 1938 he just sold on ebay, in that it is two panel back. Dot Zip, and leather strips for pulls...
It came from a family whose father was a brave man - a tail-gunner in Wellingtons from 1944 to 45, but perhaps it was recycled kit when it was issued to him?
I shall post some shots in the morning . It is in remarkable shape - only missing the label, with no damage anywhere and all the original zips and belt and collar elastic in place. Worked in a field this morning in frosty near zero Melbourne weather and it was magnificent...being 6'2" and 100kg, it took a long time to find an Irvin big enough - by the measurements, it must be a size 8.

 

[aswatland]

Welcome to the forum. I know the jacket you are referring to. It was sold by Harrington (Simon Swaffield) on Ebay. It's a c.1938-39 Wareing's Irvin and is very similar to my Wareings jacket, which I posted pics of recently.

 

[Mk Vb]

Cool! Thanks Andrew. it came with a picture of F/S Craggs and a letter from his son, a poignant story of his dad's life and time in the RAF at the end of the war.
Simon took the jacket off auction after we'd chatted for a bit - I'd been bugging him for a while about a size 8.

 

[aswatland]

He paid £1200 for it and tried to sell it for over £2k on his website! It looks like a nice Irvin and I would love to see some pics of you wearing it.

 

[Mk Vb]

Musta caught him on a good day...

 

[aswatland]

It would seem Simon Swaffield, a solicitor from the West Midlands, has invested considerable amounts of money in buying up Irvins which are listed on his website for premium prices. Often he puts an Irvin from his site on Ebay and if the bidding is not strong enough ends the auction early. He now offers an Irvin restoration service, which I believe is through Byson Leather.

 

[Mk Vb]

Well here's a quick snap of Flight Sergeant Cragg's old Irvin...as you can see it survived remarkably well doing the last year of the war facing backwards in the cold rear turret of a Wellington. Being 6'2" it's a tad short, but it is of course really warm at ground level and a long undershirt fixes the draft! If I can convince the wife to take some more snaps I'll upload some better pics...
I guess a Size 8 in all original condition is not going to be cheap, but to pick this up still in the 3 figure range was I felt, worth it.

 

[alsendk]

A terrific picture, and what a nice colour these old bomber jackets have...quite different from my own chestnut coloured repro ALC Irvin it appears to be...but so many pictures here do not show the true colours unfortunally.
Of course your jacket is broken in by far, but is it soft, or stiff after all these years? did you give it any dubbings after purchasing it?

How` s the temperature outside the porch btw...you must be facing winter down under right now

 

[Mk Vb]

Alsendk, this is a pretty good representation color-wise - this jacket's fleece is that color exactly - very much a honey color. The jacket is incredibly soft and flexible - it is truly amazing for its age - as Andrew mentioned earlier it is most likely a 38/39 by Wareings - it does have the DOT British main zipper, and it has a very slight reddish tinge to it as well. It does appear to have been lovingly cared for, and may have over the last few years been treated with some form of leather conditioner, the type of which I could not guess at. I am going to take it to a contact who is a professional leather restorer next week (he did a remarkable conditioning job on a Pride & Clark I had recently) so he can weatherproof it - but apart from that, the jacket is easily going to last another 70 years - the main zip fits together like new, all seams are tight as a drum and as long as I don't roll around in it under my 68 mustang doing wrench work , it should outlive me!
And the weather here is cold (for us) right now - days around 13, 14 and 15 degrees celsius, colder of course in the evenings, so the jacket is getting use every night walking the beagle down along the shore of Port Phillip Bay where we live. I have to always remember to put the jacket up high after I take it off, as Elliot the beagle loves the smell of it and would dearly love to nest in it if given half a chance!

 

[alsendk]

being a size 40 myself, this is what what I should be looking at, instead of trying to be - half happy about my ALC jacket:eusa_doh:
How I envy you for this fine jacket.
Do have a pleasant weekend
Allan

 

[aswatland]

Large size Wareings jackets from this period are very rare indeed! Yours is very similar to my pre-War size 7 jacket by the same maker. I would love to see some close-up shots to compare it with mine.

 

[Smithy]

And the weather here is cold (for us) right now - days around 13, 14 and 15 degrees celsius, colder of course in the evenings, so the jacket is getting use every night walking the beagle down along the shore of Port Phillip Bay where we live. I have to always remember to put the jacket up high after I take it off, as Elliot the beagle loves the smell of it and would dearly love to nest in it if given half a chance!

Well it's a darn sight bloody colder up here in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne

Lovely jacket and in damn good nick Mk Vb ( I take it you're a Spit fan and to hazard a guess a 452 Sqn fan to boot? )

Not original but been living in my ELC over the last 2 or 3 weeks.

Mk Vb, we might just have to have a beer sometime whilst it's Irvin weather.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[DOGSBODY]

Hi aswatland ,

Yes , I have been in contact with the said gentleman , his prices do seem a little high .
I was trying to negotiate the sale of a irvin that required some restoration work , but in the end after trying to get him to confirm a few points , he said perhaps the jacket was not for me !!
so all I can take from that is , that it was not quite what I was first told .

So now I am still searching for a 40" short fleece early war jacket - can anyone out there help ,fair price paid and good home offered

 

[aswatland]

Hi aswatland ,

Yes , I have been in contact with the said gentleman , his prices do seem a little high .
I was trying to negotiate the sale of a irvin that required some restoration work , but in the end after trying to get him to confirm a few points , he said perhaps the jacket was not for me !!
so all I can take from that is , that it was not quite what I was first told .

So now I am still searching for a 40" short fleece early war jacket - can anyone out there help ,fair price paid and good home offered

Other people who have dealt with him have commented on his behaviour. He often lists Irvins on Ebay, but ends the listing early if there are few bids. When I suggested in an email to him that his prices were too high and that some of his jackets were incorrectly ascribed to certain makers he threatened me with his solicitor! I was only trying to be helpful.