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 a WW2 pattern, made on contract number NXSX 87469 by Salant Salant Inc, Henderson, TN. The contract is date December 44 and delivered by April 1945.
Condition
This is worn, but mint condition. There is a little fading and light spotting on the cuffs, and the collar, but otherwise perfect.
Size
- Tagged a 15 1/2
- Fits a modern large
- Pit to pit 23"
- Shoulder to shoulder 19"
- Shoulder to cuff 23.5"
- Collar to hem 32"