Collections Online

Military-style jacket worn by Welsh actor, Richard Burton, in the Second World War action movie, 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968). Richard plays the character, Major John Smith who pretends to be a German soldier in order to lead a daring rescue mission in the Bavarian Alps. It includes the famous phrase spoken by Richard: ‘Broadsword calling Danny Boy’. The inside pocket has a label with the name 'Richard Burton' handwritten in blue ink.

The jacket is made from greyish brown twill-woven fabric. Front is constructed from 2 pieces of fabric with long chest and under-arm darts, back is constructed from 2 panels and sleeves are constructed from two parts. The sleeves have 15cm wide cuffs.

Linings: The torso is lined with grey-brown synthetic fabric, constructed from 4 pieces, with long darts in the front sections. The same lining is used on the pocket flaps and as a trim along the upper edge of the pockets. It's also used as a lining on the cuffs and as a partial lining of the inner chest pocket. The sleeves are lined with a cream synthetic tabby woven lining (in two parts) and inner cuffs are lined with grey fulled wool (c. 5cm deep). Inner chest pocket is also partly lined with grey cotton twill.

Collar: Collar is made of green fulled wool and the upper edge is trimmed with white Petersham ribbon (folded in half lengthways, full width: 1inch). The collar closes with 2 metal hooks and eyes. Hooks and lower eye are brass, but upper eye is made of steel.

Collar Tabs: The collar is trimmed with tabs on either side: they're lozenge-shaped and consist of black felt, wrapped around a piece of card, with two parallel facings of white (aluminium?) metal thread embroidery; the embroidery is padded out with additional card and also includes a narrow braid of blue silk (?) down the centre of each facing. The type of collar tab indicates the military rank. The tabs are hand-stitched to the collar. Metal thread construction: 5 thin wires wrapped around a white fibre core with small gaps between each twist.

Pockets: Patch pockets: The jacket has four patch pockets: two at chest and two at the hip. They measure W: 15.5cm x H: 16.5cm. At one point, the pocket flaps had additional popper fastenings on the corners (there are round impressions on the outer edge of the flaps as well as corresponding stitch holes).
Inner chest pocket: There is also an inner pocket at the left chest (vertical slit opening). There is a white synthetic tabby woven label on the inside of the inner chest pocket. It is stitched on with machine stitches using brown thread. It bears a woven maker's mark reading 'M. Berman Ltd, 18 IRVING ST, LEICESTER SQ., W.C.2'. Below is a hand written inscription in blue biro: 'RICHARD BURTON'.

Buttons: Buttons of the jacket are domed, textured, white metal, marked 'Overhoff & Co' and '20 1/2 M' on reverse. Button holes are hand-stitched and reinforced with thick thread wrapped in brown silk (hidden underneath the button hole stitches).
There are 5 buttons down the centre front and a button for each pocket fastening.

Epaulettes, badges above both chest pockets and badge on right upper sleeve have been removed (there is no remaining evidence on the sleeve, but elsewhere there is evidence of the former attachment in the form of remains of stitching thread, as well as opening seam and small holes). A still photograph from the film also shows two pins that were worn on the proper left side of the jacket, but these are also missing.

There is evidence of a former label at inner neck (centre back) but this is now missing. In its place are the hand-written numbers: '43'

Outer/upper shoulder seam has been re-stitched by hand.