Category: British Army

When I acquired this Home Service Dress Tunic it was thought to be related to the Royal Artillery, however my research concluded that the only possible match was the Army Ordnance Corps.

Like the 1902 Pattern Tunic it had been stripped of all buttons and insignia making identification tricky as there were many different variations of Home Service Dress manufactured in the late Victorian, early Edwardian era.

Manufactured in 1911 at the Royal Army Clothing Factory (RACF) in Pimlico, this tunic still has a good proportion of its paper makers label intact.

Confusingly, the paper label clearly has R ARTY printed on it and it has been suggested that the body of the uniform was cut and intended for Royal Artillery, but ended up finished as an ROC tunic.

So restoration proved tricky but my research concluded that the only possible match was ROC. Given that, I sourced some General Service Brass buttons, AOC shoulder titles and original collar dogs. The AOC only received Royal Warrant after the First World War and it appears Corps buttons for Other Ranks did not exist and uniforms would have been fitted with GS buttons.

To finish the set off I purchased a early 20th Century reproduction Field Service Cap fitted with an original AOC cap badge.

The 1902 Pattern Service Dress uniform was widely introduced into service after the Boer War - finally replacing the scarlet Home Service Tunics to ceremonial duties.