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Today,I offer you a bit of my family history for sale, which I no longer want to hold as an object. Whoever owns it next, my memories of this item will never fade. This genuine WWII US Navy Peacoat belonged to my Uncle, James William Meeks, who served during and just after WWII in the Pacific Theater. He continued his service after the War and had this Peacoat commissioned from one of the many makers of such items for US service members in Hong Kong while he was on shore leave there in1946.
This item stands out from all the rest because of the material the embroidery is worked on with the year and the vessel proudly stamped at the bottom. Service members like my Uncle were forofferden from altering their uniform or the standard issue peacoats of the era with decorations of any kind, much less the sassy artwork on this item. My Uncle broke all those rules anyway and created a truly one-of-a-kind Navy memento. I was told my Uncle had to sneak it back into the US,or it would have been confiscated and destroyed, so like my Uncle,this Peacoat has survived its share of dangers. This is the Navy Peacoat version of the tattooed sailor.
My brother wore it for a little while in his teens, as did I but its dimensions are petite. The Dragon Peacoat is tiny because my Uncle was a little guy even as an adult. I include some photos with a measuring tape to help you understand the size accurately. My household includes both cats and dogs, so I can not represent this item as 100% pet hair free, but I have done the best I could to remove any debris. The photos are sometimes over exposed to make the wear more obvious in the photographs. The color of the item is a uniform matte black wool, and not at all grey. All photos are unretouched and taken in natural sunlight.
The Dragon Peacoat has significant wear, as expected from a78-year-old jacket. I am taking many photos, so please look at all of them for the best possible representation of the item. One notable repair made by my Mother is on the right elbow section of the sleeve.It is in rough shape, but the material around it is still intact. Not being a curator of such things, I don’t want to try and repair that repair job myself, and it may not matter to its next owner. The patch itself is over 40 years old and is part of the garment as it is today. Most of the buttonholes have been repaired and buttons are damaged. There is a noticeable wear around the collar. My closeup photos should help to illustrate that well.
I will pay shipping and insurance on this item when it is finally sold, and I look forward to negotiating a fair price for my unique WWII Navy Dragon Peacoat. Thanks for looking!!!
