Kilts in WW1

[georgeetta]

WW1 wear,
Crimean War, advent of the Balaclava I think Connelly also cracked about Balaclavas and Wellington boots as Nat'l dress (jest) ..the bain of many a Scottish young school boy ..and safety pinning your mittens to your jacket . I think I saw fellows in WW1 also with Balaclavas ..keep your head warm keep your body warm . Balaclave also keeps the steam awa' fae yer moo ("away from your mouth" en Anglais) and free breathing I've asked good ole Uncle Jim on topic and will ask the others .I'd've liked to've seen a spec written up by the Gov't on kilt weights over the 1800's or any remarks on how it protected the soldier, they beign so structured I'm sure they'd've had a plan or committees ..I think Prebble went into detail on gear in MUTINY BOOK ..he talked how contractors or outfitters'd essentially cheat and line their pockets by skimping on gear quality/quantity to the point Scots in France gave the "belle femmes" a "show" whenever the breeze kicked up .
th
d

[Mike_Oettle]

Regarding kilt use during the First World War, I recently read the book Passchendaele: The Sacrificial Ground by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart, where it is remarked that kilted troops were better able to withstand the harmful effects of gas attacks because their knees were normally exposed, making them less vulnerable to the blisters that mustard gas raised on areas of skin normally covered by clothing.
The successive battles fought around Ieper (or Ypres, as it was spelt during 1914-18) were truly horrendous because of the combination of heavy artillery concentration and abnormally heavy rain in September 1917, which turned the entire battle ground into an immense quagmire where everything was reduced to mud, since the artillery had smashed buildings and trees out of existence. After the final push forward to Passchendaele, the British commanders realised that the ground gained could not possibly be held, and the troops retreated to the original battle line around Ieper itself.
Many thousands of soldiers’ bodies were never recovered from the mud, and in lieu of proper burial they are named on the memorials at the town’s Menin Gate.
It is no wonder that, in the words of the song popular at the time, the typical British Tommy wished to the bottom of his heart that he could be “far away from Wipers” [Ypres].
Regards,
Mike

[Philip S. Tibbetts]

Dear All,

Many thanks for your spirited and informative responses to my query. It seems like the matter is rather more nuanced than just a straight answer - I greatly look forward to seeing what else comes up on this.

(Good to hear from you Chas! I'm doing well thanks, finally managed to move in with my girlfriend and settling down in beautiful Cumberland. Still wearing my kilts as well as helped a few friends design their own too)

Many thanks again

Philip

[Mike M.]

I read a book by an American pilot who joined the Canadian Army in 1940 (to get to the UK, he wound up flying with the Eagle Squadron). He wound up in a kilted unit. They claimed the kilt offered better ventilation, making blistering agents less effective.

[neloon]

My father owed his life - and therefore I owe mine - to his wearing the kilt in the Gordons at Cambrai in 1917. He was hit by a flammerwerfer (flame thrower) but was able to undo his blazing kilt as he ran off down the trench to safety. He was in a water bath for a year as the burns healed but would have been a gonner had he been in breeks. The kilt definitely was - to use the original poster's word - a "BENEFIT"!