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Army surplus stores


pgmetcalf

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At one time, not so long ago, there used to be tonnes of these in Sheffield, but the only one I can think of now is Jayjays on London Road. Any others?

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I used to go to one in Darnall it was fantastic - I drive past when I visit Sheffield and think of it every time!

At one time, not so long ago, there used to be tonnes of these in Sheffield, but the only one I can think of now is Jayjays on London Road. Any others?

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I used to go to one in Darnall it was fantastic - I drive past when I visit Sheffield and think of it every time!

Yeah that was a good one, I think the guy had more stuff than the branch at Shalesmoor

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There was an army stores on heeley bottom for many years called Yeowmans (if thats the right spelling)

Also they had a branch at Woodseats.

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There was an army stores on heeley bottom for many years called Yeowmans (if thats the right spelling)

Also they had a branch at Woodseats.

Not far out with the spelling 'Only me'

I was a regular customer at Yeomans on London Road, Heeley, in the 70's

I used the one on the corner of the Peace gardens - now a cafe I think.

This is the one Mike ..

The Army General .. link 01

& 02

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This is the one Mike ..

The Army General .. link 01

& 02

That's the one, I remember it had a large counter and wondered if it used to be some sort of tailor before it was the Army Stores. The Doc martens were in the basement and it had a unique smell of hesian and leather. There's nothing like these shops anymore!

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In the late sixties the one on Shalesmoor were selling large boxes full of food

which were Yanky surplus. People were buying them out of curiosity at £5 per box.

Everything was in dark green tins but nothing was labelled so each tin was a supprise.

You got dry cream crackers, spread cheeses, jam coffee etc etc, but no can

opener supplied.

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That's the one, I remember it had a large counter and wondered if it used to be some sort of tailor before it was the Army Stores. The Doc martens were in the basement and it had a unique smell of hesian and leather. There's nothing like these shops anymore!

Also used to go to the one opposite the peace gardens.

I was TOLD to go there as a young science student by my chemistry teacher as it was the only place in Sheffield where you could get a white laboratory coat which was approved as safe for use in a chemistry laboratory. I remember it had to be natural fibres (mainly cotton), fire resistant, flame retardant and resistant to the most common nasty chemicals. I used it all the way through A level and a university degree by which time it was full of holes, burns, chemical stains, the lot. Interestingly the clothes I wore under it were not marked at all so it was a top quality safety product.

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I remember buying my lab caot from the one on Norfolk street, and going to the one in Darnall to buy my ex USAF bomber parker, remember like a flying jackety/bomber jack in nylon with a fur collar!

When I was a keen young Air Cadet in the 8-0's going in to buy 58 Webbing etc. Happy days, still remember the smell!

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I remember buying my lab caot from the one on Norfolk street, and going to the one in Darnall to buy my ex USAF bomber parker, remember like a flying jackety/bomber jack in nylon with a fur collar!

When I was a keen young Air Cadet in the 8-0's going in to buy 58 Webbing etc. Happy days, still remember the smell!

Lab coats, bomber jackets, military clothing....

Are there still shops like this around that sell this sort of stuff?

and if not why not?

Much of it was good quality clothing which served a specific purpose.

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Guest Noise Heat Power

Here you go - the army surplus shop by the Peace Gardens in 1985...

(I know it's not exactly David Bailey, but if you want to use this photo elsewhere, please drop me a line first - ta!)

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Here you go - the army surplus shop by the Peace Gardens in 1985...

(I know it's not exactly David Bailey, but if you want to use this photo elsewhere, please drop me a line first - ta!)

Thats the place Noise Heat Power.

I think it is now part of the HA HA BAR

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Thats the place Noise Heat Power.

I think it is now part of the HA HA BAR

But what was that building used for before it became Army & General ?

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Guest 30_degrees

I used to go to one in Darnall it was fantastic - I drive past when I visit Sheffield and think of it every time!

Hi Dunsbyowl,

I know a little about the last two owners, the last one was a guy called Ken, a Graduate from SU (Theology I think) who new nothing about the business. I used to call in now and again to have a poke around behind the scenes. I was like a kid in a toy shop, sweet shop, pet shop all rolled into one, man it was an Alladin's cave. Unfortunatley Ken's business sense let him down and he sold all the stock off and closed up shop.

The previous owner who had been there since Adam was a lad and was on a plane to Spain whilst Ken was trying to figure out which key opened the door!

There was another Army Surplus on Corporation Street near the ambulance station, I never used it as trying to park a car around there was difficult.

When I was a kid there was a shop at the side of the newsagents at Wheata Rd. called Straw's. Two brothers Ron & ? helped to keep our family in knitwear until they closed as mum bought knitting wool and other clothes making stuff from there. One of the brothers went to work in Millets but it might have been Yeomans :unsure: on Exchange Street, on the right on the way to the markets.

If I need stuff these days I use Jay Jay's or Donny Market.

When I first started working at Tankersley Park Golf Club I got a lift from the Head Green Keeper Stan Lawler (from Firth Park?) on his Honda 50. I needed a coat for winter, my dad showed me an advert for Army Surplus in the Daily Mirror. Shortly afterwards I could be seen perched on the back of Stan's bike completely swamped in my WW2 Dispatch Rider's coat. It cost about 10 bob. Worth today? Go on have a guess! £1000.00 :( I also had a respirator bag for my snap.

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I used to go to Wakefields on the Moor. Bought a bush jacket in the sixties and covered it with all the Owls players names and a big Ozzie Owl lol There was also another on the Wicker whos name escapes me(old age setting in) where we used to buy our Doc Martens from

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I used to go to Wakefields on the Moor. Bought a bush jacket in the sixties and covered it with all the Owls players names and a big Ozzie Owl lol There was also another on the Wicker whos name escapes me(old age setting in) where we used to buy our Doc Martens from

Would that be the 'Famous Army Stores'

just across the road from Blonk St.

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Would that be the 'Famous Army Stores'

just across the road from Blonk St.

There was a Wakefields on Exchange St, opposite Castle Market

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There was a Famous Army Store at Hillsborough - on Langsett Road, where the tram stop to the city centre is. Bought a white boiler suit there some 20 years ago for site work.

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There was a Famous Army Store at Hillsborough - on Langsett Road, where the tram stop to the city centre is. Bought a white boiler suit there some 20 years ago for site work.

Had a white lab coat (as chemists do) from the Army stores as mentioned previously.

But my boiler suits, for working on traction engines, were usually blue as they came from an RAF surplus outlet.

The boiler suits needed to be a darker colour than the lab coats, - oil, grease, rust, coal dust, soot, - you get a lot dirtier than working with chemicals <_<

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Had a white lab coat (as chemists do) from the Army stores as mentioned previously.

But my boiler suits, fot working on traction engines were usually blue as they came from an RAF surplus outlet.

The boiler suits needed to be a darker colour than the lab coats, - oil, grease, rust, coal dust, soot, - you get a lot dirtier than working with chemicals <_<

I thought it was pretty stupid, but the company I worked for insisted it had to be white, and I had to sew the company badge on it as well! The company's corporate colours were blue and yellow, so why blue boiler suits could not be used was a mystery to me. It didn't stay white very long, obviously, although as a greyish boiler suit it lasted for ages, long after I left that job.

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Wakefield’s also had an outlet on the Exchange Street pedestrianised area - about halfway along and part of the Woolworth building - roughly opposite Maces pet shop which was integral with the now demolished  Castle Market building.

Vanished sometime in 70s/80s I think.

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