Duffle coat, universal pattern, dated 1944

Manufactured by John Hammond and Company (1922) Limited, 1944.

This is duffle coat is of the type issued to troops in the Norwegian campaign during World War Two (1939-1945). The duffle coat was created as a loose-fitting coat that fastened with toggles that could be done up with gloved or frozen hands It was worn for cold weather protection in the Royal Navy before World War Two, but the Army also subsequently adopted them.

The word 'duffle' originally referred to a heavy woollen cloth, similar to that which was used to make the coats, manufactured in the Belgian town of Duffel. After the War, civilians began wearing army surplus duffel coats and, in 1953, British company Gloverall started manufacturing a commercial men's duffle coat.