Name/Title
Sussex Police female officer's double breasted tunic c1976Entry/Object ID
2244Description
Black wool women's double breasted tunic, with two hip pockets, and shoulder epaulettes with metal chrome plated numbers "265". It has Sussex Constabulary/Police lapel badges and six small Queen's Crown "Sussex Police" buttons to the front and two further small Queen's Crown "Sussex Police" buttons on the epaulettes. Though tailored for a woman, there are two sets of three button holes to the front, one set of three each side. There are old style cloth sergeants stripe badges sewn to each arm, though inexpertly applied, and evidence that the sleeves have also been inexpertly taken up. Marker's label inside "Tailored by Grantham"Use
For use by a Sussex Police female constable or sergeantContext
In the early 1970s, c1971, Sussex Constabulary introduced a double breasted tunic to be worn with trousers, for the small number of female traffic officers in the force. This followed the introduction of a similar uniform for woman traffic officers in the Metropolitan Police. However in Sussex it was only used by a very few women officers, the majority still wearing a single breasted tunic with 4 pockets and a skirt, until this was replaced by the so called "Surrey" style uniform in 1972.
In 1976 Sussex Police began to trial a uniform trouser suit for all women officers, with a double breasted jacket similar to the one pictured, which was intended to be worn all year round for night duty, and for day time duty during the winter months. However despite being mentioned in the July edition of the Force Magazine "Patrol", there is no further subsequent mention of this uniform ever having been permanently adopted. Instead female officers continued to wear the "Surrey" style uniform complete with skirt, with the option of wearing ill fitting trousers for night duty during some of the winter. There is no explanation as to why the trouser suit was not adopted, but it may have been the thought of having to issue two separate styles of uniform that sealed its fate, or simply continued prejudice against women officers wearing trousers !
This particular tunic with its Sussex Police buttons dates from after 1974 and is probably one of the 1976 trial tunics. It is not one of the earlier traffic uniforms. It is properly tailored for a woman but has an odd arrangement of dual button holes. It is missing a letter on the epaulettes representing the officer's surname initial and the stripes may not be original as they are very inexpertly sewn on.