Help me ID this combat smock.

Buy this combat smock this afternoon on a local thrift shop, is this a 1968 pattern? New Zealand or British? thanks in advance guys?




NZ for New Zealand?

It is a standard 68 pattern DPM British smock

I haven't seen that color button before. Common?

Steve

Looks like an early version

Very nice example.
Buttons could have changed color through using liquid bleach when washing.
owen

The seller said that the smock came from hongkong, a former british colony so it has to be british?

Looks like all the P68 smocks I have (albeit it with slightly neater-looking fading)... but I'm with Steve, those are some funky coloured buttons!

Ooo. It could have come from the Hong Kong garrison. That might explain the buttons, the zipper, and the strange white tag. Apparently they aren't allowed to use "as is" British uniforms. Hmmm... didn't someone post an article about these garrison forces before?

Steve

I served there in the Territorials for a couple of years. The TA unit (Royal Hong Kong Regiment (Volunteer)) was actually a HK Govt department descended from a militia force - they were under the admin control of the Gurkha Brigade stationed there at the time (1980's). Each squadron were allocated Permanent Staff Instructors who were Regular British Army. Clothing sources were mostly self-sourced although following closely British Army lines (eg. DPM trops were made by Regimental tailor whilst jackets and webbing ('58 and '44 copies) were commercially sourced out - footwear and weapons seemed the only items actual British issue.)

As mentioned before elsewhere on this forum, it was common practice for RHKR members to 'acquire' issue Brit gear for the 'ally' factor! 'Face' after all, is most important in Asia!

The rest of the HK Garrison were Brit Army/Navy/RAF/RM, lock stock - the Gurkha Brigade, the resident Infantry Battalion (during my tenure the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Gds followed by 1st Battalion DERR) and various support units - all supplied from official Q-Stores with issue Brit equip (as the subject jacket is).

Therefore, after my digression, it is no surprise that an issue DPM jacket originates from HK - it could get quite cold doing stag in those hilltop OPs overlooking the Chinese border ...

Very nice answer mate !
Have not heard Stag in yonkers .
o

I found the thread. Not surprisingly, the information I have about this came from none other than Filupe

https://iacmc.forumotion.com/t6147-bermuda-regiment-dpm-smock

I've seen a fairly large number of P60, P68, and P84 tops and bottoms. I've never seen buttons and a zipper like this. I can't help but thinking it has something to do with it being used in HK, though it could also be an unrelated fluke of course.

Steve

I had one with very green buttons but they were dark green, kind of like the rifle green of the RAR beret.

Here is the Australian one:
http://www.camouniforms.net/index.php/oceania/australia/19-2011-09-21-15-18-52
It seems to have more olive coloured buttons.

thanks Guys! found this link for the maker of my smock cookson and clegg ltd.
http://andy1966.users.photofile.ru/photo/andy1966/3862059/92767176.jpg

Base one wrote:thanks Guys! found this link for the maker of my smock cookson and clegg ltd.
http://andy1966.users.photofile.ru/photo/andy1966/3862059/92767176.jpg

i mean the type of smock made by cookson and clegg.

Over the years Ive(and probably still have)loads of 68 Patt Smocks with various shades of green coloured buttons including one like the smock pictured and thought nothing about them.

Good to know! As I asked earlier on I was wondering how common they are. You're the first to say "common", and that's good enough for me

Steve

Thanks sir's

DP rules .

Heres a random smock picked from the pile-same coloured buttons,different maker.

I've seen lots of color differences in the buttons, from olive to this blue/grey/greenish tinge. I think it may have something to do with the color composition of the buttons degrading over time. Storage conditions may affect this.

Thanks Sir's.