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Dear Lorraine
During the 1939 -45 war an SBR raincoat was part of the uniform in many of the civilian services.
FEMALE
Policewomen in London - and possibly elsewhere - wore a heavy SBR raincoat when 'walking the beat' in the rain. They continued to do so until the 1950s when a change was made to a dark blue double-textured mac.
Most of the girls in the Women's Land Army during the war were issued with an off-white double textured mac, but a few were given an SBR coat instead. Two of the girls working on the farm where - as a schoolboy in 1943 - I was assisting with the harvest, wore these shiny black macs when it was raining. Unfortunately it was a fairly dry summer!
Red Cross nurses had the option of wearing an SBR mac instead of the gabardine coat most of them wore. It was single breasted with a belt and had a mandarin collar. It looked very attractive in every way.
MALE
Until the 1960s policeman on traffic duty in London when it was raining wore a heavy SBR coat with white rubber forearm sleeves (to match the white forearm covers they wore on their uniform when carrying out that duty).
During the war men in the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) were issued with a single breasted unbelted SBR mac.
Not SBR, but women in the WAACS (the American Women's Auxiliary Army Corps) wore a rather shapeless khaki green rubber-lined mac. It was frequently used a substitute for a groundsheet. UK 'other ranks' (privates to sergeants) of both sexes in the Army and RAF were issued with a khaki shiny rubber surfaced groundsheet which doubled up as a cape which was worn when it rained. Some of these were in a double-texture material instead of being rubber surfaced; I was issued with one of those when I joined the RAF, but I managed to exchange it for the 'real McCoy'.i
During the blitz in London I did my stint as a fire watcher. The leader of our group - a schoolmaster in his fifties - bought a double-breasted SBR coat from Lawrence's in Charing Cross Road. He said he bought it because it not only kept him dry but it also kept him warm on cold nights. It cost about £10 - a not unsubstantial sum in those days. Clothes were rationed during the war and it also cost him quite a lot of his precious clothing coupons. I managed to persuade him to let me borrow the coat when I was on fire-watching duty - in case it rained.
Kevin
Kevin
Very interesting, thank you.
Not sure I agree on who the real McCoy is ... double-textures, in a traditional riding mac say, or a Gangster, are by no means unreal to some of us!
If you had further information - or pics? - we would love you to write again...
Lorraine
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