Some months back we looked at the 1968 pattern smock here; tonight we look at its immediate predecessor, the 1960 pattern Combat Smock. In design the 1960 pattern smock is virtually identical to the 1968 version, however the material is a plain olive green rather than the DPM camouflage used on the later pattern:The jacket itself is based on the 1950 pattern uniform, which in turn was based on contemporary US uniform design. The jacket has four external pockets, two angled pockets on the breast:And two below the waist:These pockets are double stitched for strength. A long deep pocket runs inside across the whole of the bottom rear portion of the smock:The smock has distinctive reinforced elbow pads:And is secured up the front by a zip and buttons:A drawstring helps shape the waist:The collar is stitched for strength and has a button and tab arrangement to allow it to be fastened in cold weather:As can be seen then, this is a well made and designed garment and has a full cotton liner sewn in as well. Both this smock and its successor were well liked by troops, and certainly preferred to the inferior quality of the 1984 pattern and CS95 that were to come along later in the century. A pair of labels gives care instructions, size and a date of manufacture; 1968:Interestingly the label on the hood indicates it was made as part of the earlier 1950 pattern ‘sateen’ uniform:Many items of the two patterns were worn interchangeably as the hood especially received a lot less wear than other uniform items so didn’t need to be replaced as often. In the picture below, examples of the 1960 combat smock can be seen being worn in Ireland in 1969. Note the elbow patches on the left hand man’s smock: