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A Great Britain Fencing Team Blazer. Below is the research I have completed to attempt to describe the item honestly,
A piece of sporting history. Authentic, athlete issued national fencing team blazer custom made by the prestigious tailors C& M Sumrie Ltd made expressly for Rowans [Glasgow & Birmingham]
Based on the style, tailoring specifications and the fact a Messiah concert receipt was in the blazer pocket from 1970 leads the date to an international tournament cycle [encompassing Mexico City 1966 & Edinburgh Commonwealth Games 1970]
Provenance: Front patch. The flagpole with the waving flag, No crest.Inner pocket Label: R.40 Being the chest size, in mind this sport, more likely a mans jacket.K-1790: Refers to the specific heavy navy wool/wool blend fabric. [Blazer is very heavy]942026 is the master batch cutting order code used by the Leeds factory floor to track the production run for Rowans.A handwritten 656: When team blazers were produced in limited quantities, athletes would visit the tailor would write the number to match to the athlete.In the name tag there is a pen mark looks like a 4 or h not sure.Sumrie used the letter-dash-four digits pattern in the 1960's.
Brass Buttons with the Tudor Rose: Multi Cycle Blazer athletes wore blazers across consequtive seasons. An English athlete. These buttons were worn under the home nations for Commonwealth games and then changed to plain for Olympic Games.
Unfortunately a public data base does not exist for Sumrie I would have loved to match the jacket to the owner. A 40R jacket back then in this sport apparently matches the physique to a 5'8 to 5'11 athletic male.
This is my research, I appreciate it could be incorrect in part but this is my findings.
