The 39th Battalion, The Hawthorn Kew Regiment was allied with The Dorsetshire Regiment (British Army) in 1931. It is believed that as a token of friendship to commemorate the alliance, the officers of The Dorsets gifted the officers of the 39th Battalion with a number of their mess dress jackets which the 39th then adopted as a unit-specific mess dress; using their unit badges and Australian Army accoutrements. It is believed the jackets were worn throughout the 1930's until the start of WWII when it became harder to source the jackets. 39th Battalion, The Hawthorn Kew Regiment Officer's Mess Dress Jacket c.193139th battalion, 39th bn, 39th hawthorn kew regiment, mess dress, mess jacket, 5/6 rvr, 39th battalion hawthorn kew regiment, royal victoria regiment, 5th/6th battalion, victorian infantry, australian army, mess uniform, 1930s, militia period, kokoda