British Battledress - Different Color Pants and Shirt

I'm just wondering if this would be "acceptable" for soldiers to wear during WW2.

I have this very dark brown Pattern 37 Battledress Blouse with Greek markings:


It's a lot darker than the pants which are the normal "yellowed" color.

Here's a comparison of the colors:



Top is the Battledress blouse. Below it is the pants.

I already know it might look funny, but would it have been "acceptable" according to historical evidence?

The dark brown battledress top looks like it could have been originally Canadian issue as their battledress was a darker and slightly greener shade than the British version.

V.C. Brunswick said:

The dark brown battledress top looks like it could have been originally Canadian issue as their battledress was a darker and slightly greener shade than the British version.

Click to expand...

It has Greek markings on it. I've heard that Greek battledress has a darker color as well.

So is it normal or not for soldiers to mix and match colors like the stuff I have?

My understanding is that Canadian BD was highly prized because of its higher quality. The fabric had a finer weave than British khaki serge. The problem that creates is that post war Greek BD is much rougher. I owned a set of it several years ago. The consensus at the time was that with a change of buttons it could have "passed" for Canadian in a pinch due to its color, but that was it. Once acceptable repros became available it pretty much faded from the scene as people upgraded. That stated, if it's all you've got, then run with it.

Can't speak for the Commonwealth countries but this topic comes up with US forces often enough. There are scores of original photographs showing distinctly different shades of fabric combined on the same person. A great example of the variety can be seen in the pre-flight briefing scene of the War Department film on the actual Memphis Belle. What a menagerie!!

Matt