Original U.S. WWII USMC 1st Marine Division Guadalcanal Australian-Made “Battledress” Jacket with “Bloodied” Patch - Dated 1942

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful Marine Corps “Battledress” jacket with a tag denoting it was manufactured in Australia in 1942. These jackets were made for U.S. Forces and were based on the popular British Battledress uniforms. It is not an “Ike” jacket despite looking similar.

The jacket is stamped Size 38L and has a gorgeous Australian-made “Bloodied” 1st Marine Division patch on the left shoulder over Sergeants chevrons. There is a 3-place ribbon bar over the left breast pocket with the Navy Unit Commendation with star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two stars, and the American Campaign medal. Next to the tag on the interior is a faint name, HAMES / R. We couldn’t identify the marine, making for a great research project.

The 1st Division shoulder patch originally was authorized for wear by members of units who were organic or attached to the division in its four landings in the Pacific War. It was the first unit patch to be authorized for wear in World War II and specifically commemorated the division's sacrifices and victory in the battle for Guadalcanal. Later this would become the official patch for the entire 1st Marine Division.

This is a fantastic Australian-made USMC jacket with a great bloodied patch, ready for further research and display.