Peter Graham
Well-Known Member
I’ve had this jacket for close on two years and it’s only recently that I’ve had the time to restore it. When I got it the fleece was filthy, there was a hole under one armpit, the hanger was missing as was one of the collar buckles and the zipper was broken. Despite these problems I knew it was a worthy project as all the panels were intact and strong. First off I sewed up the hole under the arm then cleaned the fleece with Eucalan. The amount of dirt that came off had to be seen to be believed. At this stage we were busy moving house so the jacket gathered dust for well over a year although I had already obtained an NOS Talon courtesy of Bazelot. The last thing I needed was a collar buckle and hanging strap and Tim (Bombs away) came up trumps for me with this. I don’t have the skill or the equipment to complete the job and I didn’t fancy waving goodbye to it for several months to Aero but luckily I found a local Lithuanian woman (that’s Irish!) who fitted the zipper, buckle and a scrap D-1 hanger to a standard every bit as good as Aero for a fraction of the cost and in a matter of days rather than months. She’s a real craftswoman and will be getting a lot more work from me.
The jacket itself is HLB’s second B-3 contract and dates from 1942. It’s had a depot re-dye at some stage and that’s what attracted it to me as I’m not a big fan of the duo tone B-3’s. It’s been issued at least twice as it has the names “James” and “Badger” written in pen on one of the straps with partly legible service numbers so hopefully I’ll be able to do some research in the future. The only thing still missing is the leather rank attachment tabs from the shoulders but they must have been removed before the re-dye as the remaining stubs are also dyed. I may or may not replace them at some stage. Brass rivets have been added at the bottom of the zipper and on the pocket corner. Judging by the verdigras on them they could well have been added during the jackets service life. The jacket still has a little linen label in the lining but it’s mostly illegible. Does anyone know what they were, size or batch labels perhaps? I’ve had enough experience of original shearlings to know that this jacket is more robust than any US shearlings and as robust as the Irvins that I’ve owned. I’m really pleased at the way it’s turned out. It’s by no means mint so I won’t be afraid to wear the hell out of it this winter. I just hope James and Badger approve. I often gaze at the jacket and wonder what their stories are and what became of them.
The buckle and strap that Tim sent are slightly different but the important part is that they're original
Judging by this undyed section it may have been a redskin
The jacket itself is HLB’s second B-3 contract and dates from 1942. It’s had a depot re-dye at some stage and that’s what attracted it to me as I’m not a big fan of the duo tone B-3’s. It’s been issued at least twice as it has the names “James” and “Badger” written in pen on one of the straps with partly legible service numbers so hopefully I’ll be able to do some research in the future. The only thing still missing is the leather rank attachment tabs from the shoulders but they must have been removed before the re-dye as the remaining stubs are also dyed. I may or may not replace them at some stage. Brass rivets have been added at the bottom of the zipper and on the pocket corner. Judging by the verdigras on them they could well have been added during the jackets service life. The jacket still has a little linen label in the lining but it’s mostly illegible. Does anyone know what they were, size or batch labels perhaps? I’ve had enough experience of original shearlings to know that this jacket is more robust than any US shearlings and as robust as the Irvins that I’ve owned. I’m really pleased at the way it’s turned out. It’s by no means mint so I won’t be afraid to wear the hell out of it this winter. I just hope James and Badger approve. I often gaze at the jacket and wonder what their stories are and what became of them.
The buckle and strap that Tim sent are slightly different but the important part is that they're original
Judging by this undyed section it may have been a redskin
