Good morning gentlemen. I am trying to put together a uniform resembling that worn by Lt. Colonel Nicholson, the character played by Alec Guinness in the film Bridge on the River Kwai. However, Nicholson was based loosely on the real life Lt. Colonel Philip Toosey, Royal Artillery, so I would like to improve on the accuracy if possible.
The problem is, my knowledge of WW2 British Army officer’s uniforms is rather slender, so I have some questions below and was wondering if anyone here would be good enough to answer them. From the film, it appears that Nicholson is wearing Khaki Drill Bush Jacket and trousers, a No.2 dress cap and Sam Browne belt but without the cross strap. My questions are:
1. On the KD Bush Jacket, would the officer’s pips and crowns be dark brass and attached directly to the epaulettes or would they be cloth ones sewn onto rank sliders?
2. Alec Guinness wears a Sam Browne belt (without cross strap) but photos of real WW2 tropical uniforms usually show a KD or webbing belt instead of leather. Which is correct or is it just the officer’s preference?
3a. The RA brass regimental cap badge is often seen as almost black. Is this just tarnish or were they actually intended to be black?
3b. Same question for the rank insignia, (assuming they are brass).
4. It appears that the officer’s cap is always in the usual darker Khaki colour, regardless of whether the rest of the uniform is tropical or whatever. Is this correct?
5. Lt. Col. Nicholson appears to have no medal ribbons on his jacket. Wouldn’t an officer of his rank and service have some or were they not worn on the KD Bush Jacket?
6. What kind of footwear would tropical-based officer’s wear? Standard brown boots or something else?
7. With Nicholson being a P.O.W. he was obviously disarmed by his captors but generally, would the tropical-based officer’s service revolver holster be the webbing type or leather?
Please excuse my obvious ignorance here and thank you in advance for your time in responding.
