Rare Soviet uniforms revealed

By Kevin O'Donovan
BBC Dorset

There were 50 mannequins in the collection which had been in a house in Poole

The rare collection contains Soviet uniforms from its army, navy and airforce

A collection of 50 shop mannequins dressed in original Soviet military uniforms has been kept in Poole.

The set was owned by a former security services consultant who was fascinated with the Russian military.

He had built up the collection over the past 20 years.

But now aged 82, the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, has decided to sell off the complete collection to a businessman based in Shaftesbury who now plans to sell it on the internet.

The uniforms cover the Cold War period from 1945 to 1991

'A surreal moment'

It is thought the collection could be one of the rarest and most complete sets of its kind in the country.

Businessman, props seller and serving Territorial Army member John Morgan has an interest in military history, and it was this link that made the man in Poole contact John.

John recalls the surreal moment when he first saw the collection, in a large garden shed in Poole.

He said: "I nearly fell to the floor. It was such a surprise, a really magnificent and comprehensive collection.

"It had been housed so well, but it did have a slightly decaying look to it, which added to its twilight appeal.

"You went into one room and there's all these mannequins, and in the second room there was even more of these dummies all draped up with various Soviet things from the 1940s World War II period though until 1980s.

"Some of the mannequins were arranged into 'scenes' - it was a thing to behold."

In pictures: rare Soviet uniforms

The Cold War

John Morgan has had a long interest in military history

John said: "Artefacts from the Cold War might not be so collectable now but as the fall of the Berlin Wall gets further away they will become more so."

The collection includes original uniforms from the Russian army, navy and airforce, and covers many roles and ranks, says John.

Uniforms includes standard infantry, marine infantry, border guards, KGB, military police, and female military police uniforms as well as special forces, ranging from 1942 right through to 1989.

There are also some replicas of rocket propelled grenades, and de-activated AK47s, one of which John has decided to keep as a memento of the collection.

The Cold War generally refers to the period which began directly after the end of World War II where tensions remained high between the Soviet Union and the western world, in particular America.

The end of the Cold War was the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world's first communist state, in 1991.

'A thorough knowledge'

The set was owned by an anonymous collector in Poole

John says the original owner of the collection was 'one of the old school'.

John said: "He had a thorough knowledge of all things military and I was scribbling notes furiously as he was telling me about each uniform."

The set of uniforms take on a surreal quality as they had all been placed on shop dummies.

He said: "He was a very personable chap and made friends with lots of people in Bournemouth and Poole, and was forever going to outfitters asking if they had out-of-date mannequins.

"They're mainly from the 1960s and 1970s by the look of them - as you can see from some of the haircuts!"

"But I think it adds to the other worldliness of the items: 1970s haircuts poking out of a Soviet general's uniform from the 1950s."

'Very utilitarian'

The collection was arranged in 'scenes' in a house in Poole

John, who is involved with the Territorial Army and has served in Afghanistan, found some parts of the collection particularly interesting, especially some of the protective anti-chemical warfare suits.

He said: "I joined the TA in 1984 and this is the kind of kit that the supposed enemy would have had to protect themselves against, and if you compare it to the stuff that we (the British) had, it looks so different.

"It's quite poignant to think that both sides had to invest so heavily into this kit to protect themselves against the most nasty of prospects."

"[Some of the suits] are very different from what the British would have put together.

"The Russian's didn't worry about about a design ethic, instead it was very utilitarian.

"But the collection does have a charm, and I am very glad to have the opportunity to see it."

In pictures: rare Soviet uniforms