Original Rough Wear 23380

[B-Man2]

Its been a slow day and I had some free time so I decided to post my Rough Wear 23380 for your review. The jacket is in nice condition however the liner needs a few stitches here and there to prevent some tearing from getting larger. A review of Gary Eastman’s book reveals that the 23380 contract was issued to Rough Wear on December 26th of 1941. So this jacket was probably made sometime in 1942. The knits have been replaced with incorrect replacements as you can see in the photos. The zipper is a crown which is the correct zip for this contract. According to Eastman’s book this contract is made of cowhide as proven through DNA testing. The jacket has Carr ball type snaps, also correct for this contract. All size labels have been removed but from the measurements I would guess that the jacket is a size 50. It’s pretty big on me and I’m a legitimate 46 or 48 depending on the cut of the jacket. The measurements are as follows:
Shoulders seam to shoulder seam 21 inches .
Armpit seam to arm pit seam 261/2 inches
Shoulder seam down arm to end of cuff 27 inches.
Rear collar seam down center of back to end of knits 28 inches.
That’s about all I have , if you gents have any questions or comments please post away. Thanks for looking

 

[Silver Surfer]

with a little bit of repair work, that one looks like a rock solid wearer.....and in a rare wwll size to boot. ive gotta say, though, rough wears have a special place in my a-2 obsessed heart.

 

[johnwayne]

Nice original, original owner must of been a big bloke, can’t imagine he was flyboy!

 

[Edward]

Nice original, original owner must of been a big bloke, can’t imagine he was flyboy!

Most Certainly wasn’t the ball turret or tail gunner! Lol!

 

[Pilot]

Great jacket, congrats to the owner, thx for posting.

 

[jeremiah]

Thats Purdee.

Question. So with the AAF decal. I notice some, if not most, are dark blue background. I have just ordered a BK dubow 1755 and decided to get the AAF decal put on it, but know its a brighter blue background. Question is, were there color variations on the tint of the blue or were all originals dark blue?

 

[B-Man2]

Thats Purdee.

Question. So with the AAF decal. I notice some, if not most, are dark blue background. I have just ordered a BK dubow 1755 and decided to get the AAF decal put on it, but know its a brighter blue background. Question is, were there color variations on the tint of the blue or were all originals dark blue?

Hi Jeremiah

I believe that there were a few different shades of blue on the original roundels. Things that accounted for the color difference was the company that made them, the method used to put it on the jacket, things along those lines. I believe that most of the roundels were put on the depot re-dye jackets around 1943. That means that its been on this jacket for 75 years. The original color has faded quite a bit since that time. If you have one put on your Dubow 1755, I'm sure it will be bright blue but over the time you have the jacket it will fade as well.
Cheers
B-Man2

 

[jeremiah]

Thanks.

 

[WBOONE]

Great looking A2! I have a original Aero in very good condition size 48, but would love to acquire a size 46/48 original Rough Wear. Thanks for posting the pics.