Purchased at the 2020 Bonham's\Turner Classic Movies Hollywood Secret Vault auction,  this British Royal Engineers khaki drill army tunic had undergone extensive modifications over the intervening eighty-one years. Produced by the legendary Hollywood costume house Western Costume for the classic 1939 film Gunga Din, this wardrobe item was worn by the great character actor Victor McLaglen in his role as Sergeant 'Mac' Machesney opposite Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Sam Jaffe.

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The three main characters wear two types of khaki tunics in the film.  A finely tailored, very light "dress" version with gold chevrons and a slightly darker "field' version with khaki chevrons. This tunic is of the second type.

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It was standard practice in Hollywood to reuse costumes in multiple productions after their initial use. They were recut, altered, and modified so extensively that they became unrecognisable, with only the Western Costume co property label hinting at their original use.

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This was the case of this tunic. When purchased, it had been converted into a French military jacket with the addition of non-functional flapped patch pockets to the garment's lower front skirts.  The garment had been stripped of all its original rank badges and insignia, and the buttons had been replaced with French military types. A simple standing type replaced the original stand-and-fall collar. The sleeves look like replacements.

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Given its extensively altered condition, I decided to restore the tunic to its 1939 condition. I first removed the fake patch pockets from the tunic's lower front skirts, then replaced the French buttons with British WW1-era British General Service buttons. Western Costume regularly used genuine British General Service buttons when fabricating late 19th- and early 20th-century British military costumes.  Khaki sergeant's chevrons were applied to the right sleeve. Brass "RE" insignia were pinned to the shoulder straps.  MacChesney's ribbon bar was also replicated.  Careful study of the film indicated that the character held the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the 2nd Anglo-Afghan War Medal, and the 1854 India General Service Medal. 

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One detail I have been unable to screen match in the restoration process is the bursting grenade above the sergeant's chevrons. suitable, British or otherwise, comes close to matching the ones seen in the film. Until a suitable grenade device turns up, I will leave the corresponding space empty.

 

Actor Victor McLaglen always had a larger-than-life screen presence, and that presence was more than just a trick of the camera. His tunic featured here measures a full fifty inches around the chest.