Blitz Jacket

From the 1980 Winter Catalogue: “Twenty five years ago, Her Majesty’s tailors outdid themselves when they made this splendid garment. They created a front closure which tidily conceals the buttons, a collar which stands up easily and hooks shut if so desired, a buckle which closes off to the waist, and epaulets with buttons that bear the embossed Royal Crown with the letters “CD” for Her Majesty’s Civil Defense, the chaps for whom this jacket was originally intended (like its full-length version, the Greatcoat, on p. 13). The fabric is 100% British Melton wool. Each jacket is a relic, brand new. We discovered them stockpiled in a London warehouse where they’d been forgotten for nearly three decades, which is why we can offer them today for about what the British government paid for them in 1953.” $19.50 in Navy Blue. I’ve attached eBay photos of the authentic jacket and the buttons. The illustration in the catalogue was done by Patricia Ziegler and the copy written by Mel Ziegler. This really gives a flavor for the surplus origins of the company, when they prowled warehouses and auctions worldwide to find well-made and inexpensive garments to bring to their growing catalogue customer list.