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

[DOGSBODY]

Hello Andrew, Perhaps if you do come across or hear of a jacket for sale you would let me know , this is my email , hope this is ok to post .
draughtsman69@hotmail.co.uk

Regards

 

[Otter]

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.

Charming Gentleman, I wonder if the Sale Of Goods Act means anything to him : goods not as described!

 

[aswatland]

Hello Andrew, Perhaps if you do come across or hear of a jacket for sale you would let me know , this is my email , hope this is ok to post .
draughtsman69@hotmail.co.uk

Regards

I will do, although most decent examples sold on Ebay appear to be bought up by this guy!

 

[Mk Vb]

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

No worries Tim! I have long been a fan of the Spit....my dad worked with a gentleman who flew them out of England during the Battle, and I can remember being about 8 years old and him telling me great stories of life on the squadron - which squadron it was I do not recall, but it was incredible hearing his experiences as a young bloke.
You can reach me on
db67gt@hotmail.com
And of course Bluey Truscott's lot did Australia proud from 41 to 45 in their Spits...

 

[Mk Vb]

OK, so there weren't any 6'2" blokes in the RAF apparently! Flight Sergeant Joseph Craggs was only 5'2" according to his son Edwin, who wore the jacket for many years after his dad passed away in 1974. The letter i received with the jacket from Edwin stated his dad flew in Ansons in late 43 after gaining flight sergeant, then flew as tail-end charlie in Wellingtons through 1944.

Here is a photo of Flight Sergeant Craggs

As Smithy said, Melbourne is quite chilly at the moment, so the Irvin is getting almost daily usage. It is incredible how well this jacket has been preserved. Its workmanship(or workwomanship) is impeccable, and it has been so well cared for by the Flight Sergeant's family for all this time

 

[B-24J]

Great Jacket!

The pilot in the wartime movie "Target for Tonight", Group Captain Percy Pickard was a rather tall fellow too. At the end of the movie he is wearing his Irvin jacket as he enters the debriefing room.

The jacket looks great! Oh that everyone had taken such good care of their jackets!

Hands in pockets may wear the cuffs and the bottom of the jacket where the sleeves contact the fleece. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

John

 

[aswatland]

Thanks for the close-up pics. The herringbone patterned tapes on the unmarked Dot zips is superb. These are my favourite type of zips and are much rarer that plain zip tape variety. Your jacket has the typical darker seam tapes and the customary Wareing and Co inverted "L" pattern to the underarm vents. The small heart-shaped leather pulls on the sleeve zips are typical of Wareings and no other maker used this style of pullers. Beautiful jacket BTW!

 

[Mk Vb]

Thanks so much Andrew. it certainly is a special feeling to wear, and to be able to tell people who ask what it is and where it has been. Most people just stare...but it is great to be able to keep the memories of the brave men of the RAF alive in some small way.
Drew

 

[irvinmad]

I will do, although most decent examples sold on Ebay appear to be bought up by this guy!

Yep your right - He is well over priced and the descriptions are a little exaggerated in my opinion!

 

[irvinmad]

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.

No Byson doesn't deal with him any more.... I was chatting with them only last week. Byson by the way have made some super repairs to my jacket!

 

[Mk Vb]

Sadly I had to relinquish my Irvin - it was just too short for me to justify keeping, and Simon graciously took it back, refunding me in full, as he promised to do if for any reason I was unhappy with it. And I wasn't unhappy, I was gutted , but I could not justify keeping it if I couldn't comfortably wear it.
SO I spoke to Alan at Eastman, and in the space of 3 days, his crew had built me a B-6 RW and are posting it in the morning...I cannot believe how efficient those guys are...

 

[PADDY]

V-B, great photos of the Wareings jacket, just lovely. I can't wait until Autumn to get my DGL back on again!!

 

[PADDY]

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

That's a really good deal for a great 1938 pre-war 2 panel jacket!! just lovely!! The Morgan or Riley to set it off costs just a 'tad' more - more's the pity!

 

[aswatland]

Thanks Paddy. It sold to a guy in Australia.

 

[alsendk]

please reply us with pictures of your b-6 rw....what does rw stand for? extended arm lengh or?
what a shame you had to let it go mk vb, but a jacket need to fit well, in order to be truly happy about it, so I understand your decision well.

 

[Dr H]

Rw = Roughwear (the original wartime manufacturer of the contract on which the repro is based).

 

[alsendk]

Rw = Roughwear (the original wartime manufacturer of the contract on which the repro is based).

Thanks for your rapid informative reply friend

Just found the pictures on the Eastman site of the Eastman 6 RW, and it really looks good and solid, and real, held up to wartime pictures. A good choice with the original Irvin being too short

 

[Two Types]

I know nothing about Irvin jackets but this appears to be a hooded example which the ebay vendor claims has been authenticated by the RAF museum. Whatever it is, he has advertised it on ebay with the headline 'Suede Vintage jacket' - which could mean potential buyers might miss it.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/suede-jacket-vintage-/170893622974?pt=UK_Men_s_Vintage_Coats_Jackets&hash=item27ca0dbebe

I thought one of you might find it of interest.

 

[Otter]

Probably the Coastal Command variant, is the hood yellow?

 

[aswatland]

Yes it's a Coastal Command Irvin which has lost most of its original finish.