The US military had adopted the humble chambray shirt as part of its fatigue uniform in the early 1900s. Worn by enlisted sailors, the shirts were a perfect mixture of hardwearing, light enough to dry quickly and easy to clean. Though they would change through various iterations, the same simple garment is still in use today. Its on the backs of sailors in the pacific that these would become famous, there are hundreds of great photos of these being worn on deck under the blazing equatorial sun.
This particular example is pre-WW2 pattern, instantly recognisable with triangular bottomed pockets, pocket flaps and small gray buttons. These can be seen being worn by sailors in Pearl Harbour in photos taken from Dec 7th 1941. The shirt is named to a Rollin Joseph Caiozzo of Sidney New York who joined the name in June 1942 and spent the war serving as a Seabee.
Condition
This is worn, but very good condition. There is a little fading and light marking but otherwise it retains excellent colour throughout.
Size
- Size stamp has faded
- Fits a modern medium/large
- Pit to pit 22"
- Shoulder to shoulder 17"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 32"