Following a recent recruitment campaign we have a new recruit join who’s Mum let us know he has a allergy to wool…
somewhat problematic with out uniform given the jumpers we wear. I can’t even think of a old style jumper to consider as despite style changes they are all “woollen pullover”
Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions?
i am not sure how allergic he is, but enough for the Mum to want to mention it, concerned more that he won’t be able to wear it more than the allergic reaction so i dont think it is a case of being wrapped up in cotton wool (ie she wasnt over playing it and making it a drama) and “manning up” will sort it out.
When you say “allergic” does he get this itchy sensation when wearing woolly jumpers?
There are options available for non-wool pullovers, usually made from acrylic. You just have to see if you can get one in the correct style and colour - might be difficult! Of course, if he just has sensitive skin, rather than an actual wool allergy, he might not be able to wear an acrylic jumper either!
his Mother came to the Office and simply indicated he has a wool allergy and had concerns given the jumpers. i will enquire further but as you mention, it is sensitive skin if is somewhat of a dead-end in finding a solution
If it comes to it, can’t he just not wear a jumper? The only time I can think of when he would probably absolutely have to is Remembrance Sunday, being on parade with everyone else in front of the public. So in that case, could he stick it for a couple of hours and cover himself in sudocrem afterwards (if it’s even that severe)?
[quote=“steve679” post=15173]Following a recent recruitment campaign we have a new recruit join who’s Mum let us know he has a allergy to wool…
somewhat problematic with out uniform given the jumpers we wear. I can’t even think of a old style jumper to consider as despite style changes they are all “woollen pullover”
Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions?
i am not sure how allergic he is, but enough for the Mum to want to mention it, concerned more that he won’t be able to wear it more than the allergic reaction so i dont think it is a case of being wrapped up in cotton wool (ie she wasnt over playing it and making it a drama) and “manning up” will sort it out.[/quote]
A GP’s note to that effect would be a bloody good reason to allow the cadet to wear a GPJ in lieu of jumper. The anally-retentive will probably burst blood-vessels, but that would be an easily-achieved and practical solution to enable the lad to look smart and take a full part in cadet activities.
Though I hesitate to use ripoff direct as an authoritative source for anything, they probably are capable of reading the labels and think that it’s a wool/nylon blend (http://cadetdirect.com/order1.php?pg=100).
Assuming that wearing a jumper where it shouldn’t actually touch his skin is an issue, I’d go with GOM’s suggestion.
You’ve used two phrases that aren’t in HQAC’s canon namely;
easily achieved
practical solution
If our lords and masters read this they will be scurrying around to try and find out what these mean and could they devise an ACTO to prevent it happening.
Currently though I can’t see this particular problem, being a problem for a while, given we can’t indent for jumpers anyway and his size may not be available.
If he’s got a problem with wool, it’d be more likely to cause an issue with the woolen trousers which are worn next to the skin, than a jersey which is worn over a shirt.
The old heavyweight trousers that I was issued as a young cadet back in the day gave me a hell of a rash on my legs…so I had a lining sewn into my trousers.
Job jobbed.
Quite an interesting situation really… it would be and E&D issue to say he cannot join in as he does not have a jumper but then on the other hand it would be a H&S to send him on his way with out a Jumper… I can already see people twitching as that comprehend the situation
To be honest, I’d want something a little more medically sound than “mother says son has a wool ‘allergy’…” before I’d introduce a precedent of bending rules in any way.
Particularly given my own ‘wool troubles’ which were easily solved and never caused me a problem in 19 years in uniform.
Get a doctor’s note explaining. If it is a real allergy, get him to wear DPM/MTP (as someone above said I’m sure the trousers are woolen too, but can only find the unhelpful “wash as wool” on the label).
If it’s a case of manning up, then advise as such.
I’m sorry, but are we calling the mother a liar now and demanding independent advice from a doctor? Where do we get off doing that? This isn’t a place of employment folks, and it’s something we should take in our stride (and in that i mean we aren’t talking about something safety critical like shooting or flying). Don’t forget the mother has brought it up at the first possible opportunity and not after Cdt Johnny has complained that “the jumpers are itchy and he no likey, do something mummy”.
On sqns nights he can wear his working blue with a dark blue thermal long sleeved t-shirt (which are better than jerseys for warmth). Anything else Jeltex.
I suffered a similar problem when I was a cadet, and to this day, but only slightly now.
Back in the day (circa 1998) the only trousers were light weight or heavyweight. I was issued a par of lightweights as they had less wool content and I just didn’t wear the jumper all that much at squadron, just a dark blue shirt. Just a phone call to stores from OC secured the trousers.
For remembrance parade I used to kit it up in full uniform for a few hours.
For the cadet in question - assure him it gets better. I now only suffer (slightly) after full week long camps in blue, hence my preference for dpm or mtp.
:whistle: [quote=“pEp” post=15209]We’re not calling anyone a liar, we’re asking why it isn’t on the 3822a for a start if it’s correct![/quote]
The OP wasn’t asking for admin advice he was asking for practical advice. There’s a multitude of reasons why - perhaps on filling the form in mum hadn’t seen jerseys being worn and didnt realise it mattered. Who knows why, but regardless they have the right to add of remove conditions at anytime without our interference or requirement for verification.
wrt to why was it not on the 3822A quite simply this was the first time the Cadet and mother visited the Sqn
the parent in question had a Q&A session with the other Parents with a Cdt Sgt while the recruits did their thing. noticing the woolly jumper and trousers the Mum came to the office on her way out.
as such within 30minutes of arrival the issue was highlighted.
thank you Plt Off Prune for coming to the defence of the mother, I too have questioned the advice of getting a Drs note. this wasn’t a unhappy Cadet not wanting to wear uniform but a Mother bringing to our attention an allergy which her son suffers from…at the time of notifying us the recruit was still in his civilian clothing!
it would seem barriers against wool on skin is the solution, thanks all for the replies and particularly those who offered helpful solutions
on a side note…would the responses be the same if I started with “mum comes to the door to indicate son has a peanut allergy” or even “suffers from ADHD”??
I would thank any parent on their first night to highlight such a significant factor in their child’s life not turn around and say, “thank you, if you can bring in a note from the Doc proving such, then we shall adopted our approach accordingly, until then we’ll get him to man up”
had this been a Cadet and mentioned as they were issued their uniform fine, there is a believable element of doesn’t like it and so is looking for an excuse not to wear it. perhaps I should have been clearer in my OP to say this was a recruiting night and told by the parent, independent of the potential Cadet at the earliest opportunity
Ive avoided answering this until now, however
Ive experienced, Lanolin allergy( reported as wool allergy)
it can have the same effects as the “popular ones” eg peanut etc.
Ive also experienced a cadet who was alergic to egg, and I decided to not ask for clarity on what that ment and had the unfortunate experience of finding out that even a broken egg in the same roon restricted breathing and swelled up the neck resulting in a rather rushed trip to A&E (dont worry HQAC over 10 years ago).
Since then I decide that parents know best on the 1st night and not only note it myself but make sure all the staff know.
therefore my personal stance would be to speak to the mum again and find out the full details
