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White aircrew polo neck sweaters

coalman

Active Member
Am looking for your views on what's the best replica aircrew sweater on sale today , there are 3 suppliers here in the UK, Eastman leathers £95, Aero leathers £80 and Silvermans who sells thier's as RN submariners jumpers at £75.

Many thanks

John
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
I have an ELC one. It is good. I have their A-1 USAAF Sweater too. Still waiting on mum to knit a sleeveless vest.

Your call..

Couchy
 

coalman

Active Member
It looks like the wool Aero use is too "soft" compared to the others, may go for the Silvermans one as it is on offer in both off white and navy blue.
 

fleet16b

Well-Known Member
In reality I think if you spoke to most RAF vets that wore sweaters under their uniform , they would tell you that they got the sweaters from any civilian vendor they could find.
I have seen many variations of white and blue roll neck sweaters on aircrew.
Going to the Repro Vendors really is a waste of time and money when you can easily find the same thing in you local area for a much cheaper price .
 

Marv

Well-Known Member
I have and ELC version and even though it is very well made, I feel that the colour is too off white bordering on a yellow colour......it's from around 2007 so the current version may have now changed some what but mine doesn't seem that authentic.

I also have the A1 Mechanics sweater and that is excellent.
 

flyboy

Member
fleet16b said:
In reality I think if you spoke to most RAF vets that wore sweaters under their uniform , they would tell you that they got the sweaters from any civilian vendor they could find.
I have seen many variations of white and blue roll neck sweaters on aircrew.
Going to the Repro Vendors really is a waste of time and money when you can easily find the same thing in you local area for a much cheaper price .

I think you are absolutely right. Just take a look at this famous photo (of a famous BoB pilot: Albert G. Lewis) His sweater is definitely not a RN submarine sweater in white or navy. (Looks more like a danish fisherman's sweater. But how could it be?)

 

Andrew

Well-Known Member
And, many were knitted by little old ladies from the Comforts Funds (see pic below) and as we all know were a very different shape from the stuff that's sold today as "roll neck aircrew sweaters". It depends on what you are looking for, something accurate for re-enactment or just a roll neck sweater for practicality.

umpCAGSXHGN.jpg
 

FtrPlt

Active Member
There is a great misconception about what the RAF aircrew sweater looked like. Officially, it's known as Frock, Aircrew (22G/63). It was an issue item dating to the early 1930s -- i.e. for use in open-cockpit aircraft.

The design was updated in 1944 and produced in dark blue and designated 22C/996 Sweater, Navy Blue -- the color change viewed as a bit less detectable for evading aircrew.

The actual garment itself is not what most people envision -- perception being that the item worn in the 1969 film, "Battle of Britain" is the real-deal. In the film, the characters are wearing a RN submarine sweater.

An actual frock/sweater in ecru/off-white is not a roll-neck/t-neck design. It has a mock-T/short standing collar that is not close-fitting. Body length is quite long -- coming down to the buttocks -- and the sleeves are quite baggy.

For its intended purpose, the design is very functional and practical. Oversized neck to not restrict head-turning; short collar to not interfere with a mask; long body to keep the lower torso warm (yet remain hidden by the service tunic); baggy chest/sleeves to create a warm air pocket and also allow to be worn over the service tunic.



p1030066h.jpg
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
Thought I'd resurrect this thread to put in a plug for Outdoor Knitwear's RN submariner jumper which I received this morning.

I needed a new submariner and having owned two other jumpers from Outdoor Knitwear with which I was very happy, I thought I'd try their version. And very pleased I did too, beautifully made, sturdy, and very nice natural shade, the fit is bang on and the price very reasonable, 74 quid.

If you're after one of these types of jumper for the upcoming winter definitely have a look at the Outdoor Knitwear offering.

EDIT: Whoops, just remembered I paid £61.63 plus postage for it and not £74.
 
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Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
my prob with all of the repros is that they all have shoulders that lap over and short sleeves up to the wrist knit. this makes for a goofy looking and fitting sweater [jumper]. there are many roll top [turtle neck] sweaters being made by all kindsa companies, in all weights of wool, that fit and look proper. often they are in white, off white navy blue, and black. just my opinion.
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
The OK one fits me a treat and doesn't have those issues at least on me. Don't know maybe it works well for my build, I'm 6'2'' and 183lbs. I couldn't be happier with it, nicer than the last one I had.
 

Marv

Well-Known Member
had a look at OK website line, jumper looks very good quality wise however, checked the sizing page and I would fit the size L but the when it comes to the back length at 81cm or 32 inches seems a bit long, also the it states from the back neck length so would that be the total length of the jumper from the top of the un-rolled collar or from the base of the collar where it joins the jumper.....just seems very long in the body to me.

What size did you opt for Tim ?
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
had a look at OK website line, jumper looks very good quality wise however, checked the sizing page and I would fit the size L but the when it comes to the back length at 81cm or 32 inches seems a bit long, also the it states from the back neck length so would that be the total length of the jumper from the top of the un-rolled collar or from the base of the collar where it joins the jumper.....just seems very long in the body to me.

What size did you opt for Tim ?

Hi Paul,

I went with a Large and very happy with it (just waiting for the temperature to really drop here so I can actually use it!). I'm 6' 2'', 185lbs for reference. They are a very nice company to deal with and their products are top notch from my experiences.

Definitely the right time to be getting a submariner!

Tim
 

Smithy

Well-Known Member
Certainly looks the goods B-Man 2 but woo-wee that's a fair whack of coin!

Might bust mine out today, chilly with hail and high winds so just the ticket.
 
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