Wednesday 6 July 2016

Khaki Twill

This is the tender for the supply of khaki Twill for the Federation of Malaya (FoM) Police uniform soon after WWII. The tender notice was put out by the Commissioner of Police, FoM and allowed suppliers (vendors) to supply within 5 days. It wanted to view the cloth samples before deciding on which vendor. It required a supply of 54,000 yards of khaki Twill.

Correspondence address:
"Tenders for the Supply of Khaki Twill"
(up to 12 noon Friday, 1 October 1948)
Office of the Commissioner of Police
Bluff Road, Kuala Lumpur

Office of the Commissioner of Police
Bluff Road, Kuala Lumpur
(Bluff Road in now Jalan Bukit Aman)
http://3088.blogspot.my/2011/08/british-road-names-in-kl.html
Colour and material description of police uniform:
'Jungle green khaki brown'
Khaki refers to light-brown colour
Khaki is an Urdu word and refers to soil.
Khaki was first introduced by the British Army in India in 1848
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaki 
When did the British Army of India first arrive in Malaya? 
If the British had sent Indian soldiers, tailors and dhobis since 1848, then the date of the earliest arrival of the Indian regiment, tailors and dhobis to Malaya would be in 1848. This earliest arrival of the Indian tailors and dhobis should be reflected in the biographies of two early Malay doctors - Dr Abdul Karim bin Nawab Din (Taiping) and Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos (Penang).

Page 2 Advertisements Column 3
The Straits Times, 25 September 1948, Page 2
TO FEDERATION OF MALAYA POLICE

Tenders for the supply of approximately 54,000 yards of khaki Twill are invited by the Commissioner of Police, Federation of Malaya.

Tenders for the above marked "Tenders for the Supply of Khaki Twill" together with cloth samples will be received at the Office  of the Commissioner of Police, Bluff Road, Kuala Lumpur, up to 12 noon Friday, 1st October 1948.

The Commissioner of Police does not bind himself to accept the lowest of any tender.

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
Federation of Malaya.
Dated 23rd, September, 1948.