British WW1 Attributed General Officers Tunic

Attributed to Brigadier General Herbert Horacio Shirley Morant DSO who commanded the 3rd and later the 147th Infantry Brigades on the Western Front.

Officers pattern heavy winter khaki wool serge four pocket tunic. Brass regimental buttons of the Durham Light Infantry. As a former battalion commander of the DLI , it is not uncommon to see General Officer tunic ps being worn with regimental rather than Generals tunic buttons.

Original multiple campaign ribbon bar sewn directly to the tunic. Gilt bullion on scarlet matching General officers collar gorgettes. The shoulder straps with the rank of Brigadier General. (Single cross sword and Barton). There is clear evidence of the previous rank of Colonel with fade silhouette and punch holes. The simple reason being that this officer wore this tunic whilst a lower rank and was later promoted and only upgrading the rank and collar insignia rather than purchasing a whole new tunic. This Officer was after the reverted to pre war rank of Colonel as a war substantive General Officer. Gilt bullion wound stripes. Couple of moth nips consummate with its age.

Brigadier General Morant was born in 1870 and commissioned into the Durham light infantry in 1899 with promotion Lieutenant in 1892. He served in the Sudan 1898 and promoted to captain in August 1899. A rank he held until 1910. He landed in France in May 1915 in command of the 10th battalion Durham Light Infantry. During the great war he was wounded on for occasions, resulting in his evacuation back to the United Kingdom. He served in France, May to August 19 15 and from March 1916 till June 1918 and a game from August 1918 until the end of the war he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and with this rank commanded both the third and 147th infantry brigade‘s in 1918. Then after the war, he reverted back to his original rank of lieutenant colonel, and took command of the 1st Bn DLI taking the battalion back to Germany as part of the occupying force. He commanded the battalion until 1923. From 1924 he commanded the territorial Northumberland, infantry brigade, and retired in 1927. In 1937 he was given the honor of being appointed colonel of his old Regiment DLI. Brigadier General Morant died in September 1946.

Note: there is a substantive amount of information on brigadier general Morant on the Internet, following the sale of a large amount of his personal belongings in 2013.

Not named but fully attributed and noted on the internet as belonging to Morant.

Code: 2212