Bush Jacket, Jungle Green (Aertex), Indian pattern: British Army.
Single-breasted jacket of lightweight aertex material, jungle green, with four flapped patch pockets and epaulettes. The upper breast pockets are closed by fibre buttons, and the same type (5) close the front. History note
The standard tropical khaki drill uniform worn by British soldiers fighting the Japanese in Malaya, Singapore, Burma and Hong Kong proved to be unsuitable in terms of colour and material. Later, clothing was dyed as a stop-gap until a more practical solution was found. In India clothing factories produced a blouse that was designed around the uniform Battledress, made of jungle green aertex and this was in widespread use from early 1944. In the field the blouse, being lightweight, tended to ride up as the soldier performed his duties, exposing his body at the waist and causing greater problems as his equipment chafed the exposed skin. To remedy this the jungle green aertex bush jacket was borne, proving to be more acceptable. This example was worn by in Burma by Lance Corporal Perry, who served with 14th Infantry Brigade (1st Battalion, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment) during second Chindit operation, 'Operation Thursday'.
