The buttons could be easily removed for laundering which, due to denim overalls being workwear, was more frequent than for serge battledress. 90,000 sets of denim overalls were issued to the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) as their main uniform, in the weeks following their establishment in May 1940. Three months later, supplies of overalls were so depleted that the standard serge Battledress began to be issued to the Home Guard instead and in December, it was announced that Battledress would fully replace Home Guard overalls as soon as supplies were available.
The buttons on the overalls could be easily removed for washing, a feature more common for denim overalls due to their use as workwear compared to serge battledress.  90,000 sets of denim overalls were issued to the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) as their primary uniform in May 1940. Three months later, supplies of overalls dwindled, leading to the standard serge Battledress being provided instead. By December, it was announced that Battledress would replace Home Guard overalls entirely once supplies were replenished.