German issued black woollen jacket for Allied prisoner of war

German issued black woollen jacket worn by Allied prisoners of war. It has a stand collar. An armband of brown woollen fabric, 95mm wide, has been let into the upper left sleeve. A pocket with an angular buttoned flap has been let into the breast on both sides of the front of the jacket, and there is a corresponding pair of similar pockets below the waistline, which have a straight buttoned flap. The pockets are lined with cotton fabric. The fabric used for the flap on the breast pockets and the epaulettes is darker that the rest. The buttons are standard British Army general service pattern made from brass. The body of the jacket is lined with a different black woollen fabric.

Allied prisoners of war in Germany, from the ranks only, during the First World War, were issued with black dyed uniforms with an identifying brown cotton band or stripe. Officers were permitted to wear their own uniforms. Most uniforms were supplied by the British Red Cross and were actually standard British Army khaki uniforms that were then modified with the brown stripe or band.