~ Late 19th Century East Elveden Fire Brigade Tunic ~
Here we have a late 19th early/20th century fireman’s tunic from the village of East Elveden in Suffolk, a village near Bury St Edmunds. A town that is famous for being the home of the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire and Edward Cecil Guinness, a well known philanthropist who were both residents and well known figures of the town.
The tunic is heavy black wool with a thin lining and brass buttons with the insignia ‘EEFB’ under a crown. The reverse of the buttons is stamped ‘Merryweather & Son’ and ‘London’.
The closest approximate we can make on the jacket is 1899. The nearby town of Bury St Edmunds invested its fire station in 1899 with the first pictorial evidence being in 1901 with a tunic similar if not identical to this.
The manufacturer is Merryweather & Son (still trading today), a famous supplier of Fire Brigade equipment, the remnants of the original paper label can be seen as well as the makers marks on all of the buttons.
~ Dimensions ~
The length of the outer sleeve is 21 inches (54 cm).
The length from armpit to armpit is 17 inches (43 cm).
The length from the back of the collar to the tail is 32 inches (81 cm).
The diameter of the collar is 5.5 inches (14 cm).
The tunic weighs 2 Kg.
~ Condition ~
The tailoring has overall held up, it’s made out of very sturdy materials and has only minor wear.
There are some small holes at the collar around the fittings and the hem.
There is one small tear and some small holes in the lining.
