Magnificent & Rare RN Surgeon’s 3 Complete Dress Uniforms.

A very rare dress uniform that belonged to Surgeon Lieutenant Commander W. Greaves. RN.
It comprises of;
The Tail Coat this was for ceremonial and no 1 dress. This is a beautiful piece, embellished with gold bullion and gilt buttons, this dates from the early 1930’s but it was re-buttoned with Kings Crown buttons. It has the removable shoulder boards, again made from heavy gold bullion, these show some wear but still in good condition.
This coat in general is in wonderful condition, it was last used during WW2 and since then it has been stored really well so there is no moth damage. It does have a few faults which I will list, but all of these were caused just by wear. The collar rim is worn a slightly tatty, some of the bullion braid has come loose, this is just because the original silk cotton that fixed it to the coat has perished, unfortunately fine silk cotton isn’t very hard wearing, so the bullion just needs re-stitching.
The Mess Dress Jacket. Again a really beautifully made garment made of wool with gold bullion and it also retains its waist coat, this has gilt and silver buttons displaying the Kings Crown. Both of these garments are in excellent condition with no damage.
The Frock or Morning Coat, this is my favourite piece, typical of the Edwardian period, the quality of this jacket is amazing, it is made from thick black mohair with a black silk lining and once again with gold bullion insignia and gilt buttons, the shoulder boards also can fit to this coat as well. This is in stunning condition with just a couple of very minor faults. The stitching to parts of the silk lining has come loose, so it needs re-stitching but this is not damage or worn. This coat was specially tailored by Gieves of London and it was last attended to by that company in 1936.
The Trousers, wool with a gold bullion stripe down the outside of each leg, these are in excellent condition with no damage I can see, but the gold bullion is a little dirty.
Bi-Corn Hat. This in itself is a fabulous collectable made of black felt and silk with gold bullion ends to the hat. This is in very good condition, the silk lining shows it has been worn, it is a little dirty but it has no major damage.
The Sword Belt, made from silk covered leather embellished with bullion braid, the main part of the buckle is missing, I used an old badge just to hold it together for display but an original gilt buckle, shouldn’t be too hard to find for a reasonable price.
A truly wonderful display uniform which being for a Surgeon Lieutenant commander it is very rare, and never seem to come onto the market. Apart from natural ware which has been caused by use, there is no damage to any of the garments and the quality is quite stunning and all completely hand tailored, I would advise this for display only, it is to important to risk damaging by wearing it, as we are only temporary guardians of these pieces of history, it must be looked after and maintained for future generations to admire and enjoy.
I haven’t had the chance to research this man, it is obvious that he must have served during the First World War and held this rank by WW2, so his early years as a young officer must have been during the early 1900’s
As with all my uniforms, they are checked for any damage and sprayed with a modern anti-moth preparation, which is perfectly harmless to old materials, the uniform is them placed into a ‘space bag’ and sealed this gives the uniform an air tight seal free from any dust, damp, bugs or moth, it is then stored at room temperature.

Code: 15787