Czechoslovakia, Republic. A British-Made Czechoslovak Army Battledress Blouse

Fabricated from a brownish khaki wool, adorned with square white cotton patches sewn in place on the upper arm on both sleeves, each with the red and blue screen-printed image of the Czechoslovak Army. There are button down epaulet straps on each shoulder, which are held in place via brown green plastic buttons. The front has two pockets, one on each breast which have decorative straps giving them a pleated-look with brass buttons at the top, each pocket has a fold over flap with a reinforced button hole. The front is completed by a vertical row of four brass buttons and one brown plastic button, facing five reinforced button holes on the left, covered by a full-length flap. When the buttons are fastened, they remain invisible to the eye, covered by the flap. Most of the brass buttons on the blouse have various Birmingham manufacturer's marks on their reverses, the aforementioned brown plastic button is a replacement and held in place via a metal loop. Along the waistline at the front is a strap on the left side, and when fed through the metal belt loop on the right side, ensures a snug fit at the waist. Both sleeves have button down cuffs with brass buttons on both sides. Inside, the waistline is reinforced with a 70 mm wide cotton band, with three reinforced buttonholes at the rear, stamped in black ink with the the Broad Arrow surrounded by an "M" above, a "W" to the left, a "D" to the right (WD = War Department) and "86" below on the left side, with a white cotton patch bearing an "R" beside the British Broad Arrow on the right side. There are deep cotton-lined pockets with a side-entry near the opening of the blouse on both sides. It is stamped in black ink on the right pocket with "QM STORE" (Quartermaster Store), along with a series of faded stamps in both blue and black inks, the manufacturer's sizing label having been removed but the beige stitching outlining its position remains. In addition, it is stamped in black ink with the code "54798" along with a large plus sign on the reinforced panel on the right side opening and has a series of smudged codes on the reinforced panel on the left side opening. The blouse measures 400 mm across the shoulders and 490 mm in length overall, exhibiting multiple field repairs, especially around the collar, in addition to light soiling overall. As worn.