Thousands of Men and Women worked at Gas/Service Stations from the late 1910s to the 1970s.. Before the 1973 Oil Embargo and the start of the Full Service Gas Station general demise...

Maybe, you were one of those; The one's that raced to a vehicle, to check the Oil, pump the Gas, check the Water, check Tire Pressures and clean the Windshield and windows?... Me, I was lucky enough, to work at a couple different Stations in the 1960s... (Tidewater Flying A and Chevron)

I would see Attendants in Magazine ads, on TV and in Movies. You know what I'm talking about... They come to a Vehicle with sharply creased trousers, spotlessly clean shirt, some with a necktie or bowtie... Either a full size Uniform hat with the shiny black leather bill or a nice clean Garrison cap; set at an angle above their brow...

Of course not all Stations had Uniforms... But, at least for me and my friends... Those Stations that required a smart Uniform, were "a step up" from our smaller local Stations... (the Stations I worked at, had no set Business attire for us Employees... besides being a neat and clean as possible)

As a youngster, I always wanted to own one of those Uniforms (after serving in the Military, Uniforms lost a lot of their luster to me... LOL)

I now have a Flying A Uniform that hangs next to the "Gas themed" 1/2 Bath...(some have asked why I don't have it on a Manikin? And the truth is, they freak me out)...

I still get a kick out of looking at the Uniform each and every day... (for those wondering, I am way too fat to ever try and wear the Uniform... And yes, the Uniform shirt came to me with the Flying A and the "Bob" patches on it)



And I wondered how many of you have a Uniform(s) in your Collections?

these were my grandfather's actual coveralls & hardhat when he worked for Cities Service... he did not work at a station, worked at a distribution terminal.

When I got this it was still in paper wrapper and starched so bad it was like a board. Esso Patch is Embroidered on shirt.

I drove transport starting in 1968 for a Marathon jobber & this is the 1st uniform jacket they bought me.
It is the only uniform item I saved from 40+ years of driving & dispatching.
The hat was what the dealers were wearing at that time but I never had one so I bought this one.

Dave

Bob, you always come up with the most interesting topics and this one is no different!

Bob, I'd be afraid of that pen exploding in the pocket. Would sure make a mess.

Here is my Shell jacket which is really small, my wife is 4' 11", 98lbs and it is tight on her. Which is ok with me. The mobil work overhauls to my surprise was made by Lee.

A Mobil Jacket and Mobil Hat

A couple of more Mobil hats and a couple of jacket patches.

Forgot I have this one. HuskyBob, that is one cool hat, love it!

Daryl, no worries as the "inners" of the Pen are long gone...

The Owner of the Flying A Station where I worked, always had a "Veedol Can" pencil or ink pen in his pocket... When Customers used the pen/pencil, whichever one He had in his pocket at the time; they usually commented on them being "unusual" looking. He would smile and then hand it back to them; He said, something like; "A small token of our Appreciation, for you stopping by"... (my Family had a handful of them in our "Junk Drawer" by the telephone in our kitchen... Unfortunately, after many moves to new homes, they are long gone....)

After the Customer left, he would go back into the little cubby he had of an Office and within minutes he had another one in his pocket... I own a few different "Oil Can" pencils, so I decided that I would put one in the pocket of the Shirt....

You folks have some great looking items! Thanks for sharing.... And I hope others, whether you have a Uniform Shirt, Jacket, Hat, cap, hat badge will share with the Group.....

...no pics - but I have a couple pair of coveralls with Gulf chain stitched on the back; at least one Gulf uniform shirt; a couple of Gulf hat covers; some Gulf attendant name badges and assorted pinbacks...and countless patches...my favorite is an old flannel baseball uniform with felt letters on the back (naming a local Gulf jobber as the sponsor) that my Dad gave me for Christmas one year...

Mark, those sound fantastic!

Maybe, in the next couple of days, you can share some photos?

I know I would love to see them!

Great topic Bob. Hat only for me.

A great looking hat, Travis! Thank you for sharing...

I ran across this image on Ebay today... It seems appropriate after I read Mark's post about the flannel Baseball Uniform he owns...

From 1956, a Little League Team in Concord, CA sponsored by a local Flying A Station... (no sponsors name on the photo, which is too bad)



A close up of the logo on the Hats and Uniforms:

Bob, Thanks for coming up with all of your great topics. I always enjoy reading them. I thought this Texaco shirt was neat, especially since it had Bob on it. I have more items to post on here, but I have to locate them first. Larry

Fantastic items, Larry! (especially anything with "Bob" on it.... LOL)

It looks as though many of the Mobil coveralls have survived, but that's understandable with such a large company. Mine are NOS and made by the Cleveland Overall Company. I would guess they are from around 1950 or so. My Magnolia Petroleum baseball jersey would date from the 1940s/50s. While the moths have gotten the best of the wool lettering on the back, it's a very vibrant blue and a pretty cool looking item.
Darin

I have nothing like this stuff. Good idea and interesting thread.

Darin, great looking cover-alls and the Uniform Shirt, is something else!

Nice looking uniforms. I got a few things, the gulf hat came from a friend for helping unload a trailer load of pumps. The BOC security badge and fisher body ID are from my grandpa. Going with the baseball pic here's a pennant from a shell plant.

A friends

Here is an Neat Mobil serviceman's jacket. Great thread Bob!

Wow!! Some great looking stuff!!
Love the little league pics Bob!!! Talk about memories!

Some great items have been shared! And saved from "the Dump"...

These items of mine have been shared before, but for those that haven't seen them or would like another look?

Mechanics/Grease Monkey caps for keep grease/oil and grime out of one's hair... Usually when working under the Chassis:

(sorry for the glare)



Uniform Hats:



Metal Hard Hat from Tidewater's Avon, CA Refinery:

I don`t have much,just got this 40`s child`s Beenie Basball Hat.mechanic`s hat`s and traditional hard hat..

gulf shirt and Oldsmobile salesman uniform.

I had these handy...will try to pull some more out of storage.

This is my Gas Bash/Swap meet hat

Dave that is quite to selection of "Grease Monkey" caps.. I remember wearing such caps before, "I was promoted" to Pump Jockey... LOL

Hubba, a great looking Uniform Hat... With some appropriate pinbacks....

Darin, that baseball Jersey is the BEST!

Maurice (souperhigh) reminded me that he has this fantastic Skelly Uniform on "Skelly Bob":



Thanks, for sharing Maurice!

Here is a uniform shirt that I wore back in 1968-1973, when I worked for Forrest Cadillac in Clayton, Missouri. I was a combination body man doing body & paint work. Still love the old classic Cadillacs.

Just pulled some things out and thought you might like to see them.

RDS Great stuff!
I dug out a few more Mobil Items.
Bola tie and cufflinks, and some assorted hats.
Steve

More hats

Very nice, thanks Guys for sharing with the Membership!

I would think those white linen (looks like--at least the first one) hats would get grease on them pretty quick!

Myself, I am more like "Pig-Pen" in the Charlie Brown Cartoons, than most when I am working around vehicles and/or filling the gas tank...

Even now, after getting Gas at the local Safeway Grocery Chain Gas Station here in Longview, I will find later, that I must have leaned on something or spilled some gasoline on myself and my clothing has become soiled...

When I see photos of actual Attendants working at a Station and they are in clean clothing... Some in crisp white Uniforms! I think it is some kind of conspiracy against me and other like me, who could get dirty even in a NASA "Clean Room"...

And then, I remember an image from 1936... It is an American Ground Crew refilling the oil tanks of the Zeppelin Hindenburg before a return trip to Germany... (I own a copy of the image of course; as the Ground Crew besides being in soiled coveralls are Employees of Tide Water Oil and are wearing Veedol logoed coveralls)



(notice the two on the far right.... they must be Supervisors...)

I have two Standard jump-suit type uniforms with a matching winter cap.

Bob;
I have a closet full I still wear.
Also have a bike jersey.
Marathon Truck mechanics experimented with white uniforms in the late 1950's for 3 years, until they decided that wasn't a good idea.
Oh yea... when I started driving we wore ties also. Still have that hanging in my closet. Don't have any "selfies" with that on since we didn't have cell phones back then.
Chuck

LOL... Yes Chuck; You and I, and oh so many other Oldgas Members are old enough to remember rotary dial phones and even "party Line" telephone service.. (maybe a few even remember using phones before dials, besides Field phones)

Thanks for posting your images, great looking photo of you! And the Bicycle Jersey, is outstanding...

Came across a few more "Grease Monkey" caps.

Have not posted here in a while.
NOS Mobil Attendants cap.

I started driving for Shell in 1967,we were issued ties and hard billed hats,fortunately was not mandated to wear them.This photo was taken for the personnel file--over 51 years ago.

For some reason my hair color has changed!

No BA uniform in my collection yet but I do have a vintage Gulf Canada attendants Jacket from Montreal and a shirt made by Lion uniforms in the US. The shirts I remember back in the day in Montreal were light blue, this dark blue shirt may be from a later time or a US only shirt? I'm not a Gulf Oil expert but I do question the red stripe between the blue and orange. Can't remember ever seeing that style. The red seems out of place with the standard Gulf colours. Perhaps someone just put a patch on this shirt? I've had it for many years and if my memory does not fail me it was in an unopened clear cellophane type packaging when I bought it. I'm sure some of you Gulf guys might know more.

Pulling out my favorites jackets and are ready for Fall, both are Unitog. That sweet Made in USA product

I like that Mobil jacket!

Another

Mobil white top

Mobil Tanker Captain cap

Couple items that i have . Texaco hat , Fire chief Kid’s hat ,Hastings piston Rings Grease Monkey cap & Hat .

Ball jersey

Friend of mine recently gave me a copy of this photo. Great sport uniform photo!

This is a photo of a station local to me that was taken I guess back in the 1970’s. In the photo above the door, is a neon sign that was in this station back in the 1930’s or 1940’s when it was originally branded a TEXACO station. The original owner just kept it and continued to display it through the years he maintained his long ownership. In any event, I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire the neon sign which I proudly display. What turned out even better, was that I was able to recently add the owner’s original station attendant uniform that he wore long before the 1970’s photo.

Doesn't get any better than that Kevin....what great items to have together!
Darin

Bob Richard's started this thread, has anybody seen or heard from him since 2018 ??

Pith helmet

Tan version

Winter version

Version with a patch

Hard hat 31 years safety

NJ - Italy connection with this never worn Sphynxoil coverall.

He's been posting on FB a lot lately.

I have a few.