World War II re-enactor from San Antonio Highland Games

[ShaunMaxwell]

Downunder Kilt:

I'm afraid I didn't think to ask...

[John_Carrick]

The kilt had been dropped from battledress by the first year of WW2.
John

[Tobus]

I do believe his presentation is about WWI uniform and gear. I haven't actually watched his presentation in a couple of years, but I recall that he pointed out which elements were not technically "period correct".

[seumasFinn]

Interesting. A Fazakerley by the looks of it and a mark(II) not seen during the war. Short puttees which he appears to have tried to wrap like long puttees. Second war ammo boots. As already noted a post war bayonet. '37 Pattern webbing, '37 or '40 pattern blouse, the nicer rather than the austerity version with no fly.

If he were attempting to portray the first war there isn't much in his kit besides the kilt that is appropriate. A No1 MkIII would be a better accessory, even an Ishapore.

[OC Richard]

The only time I've seen kilts being worn by entire units in WWII was the Gordon Highlanders and Cameron Highlanders in France pre-Dunkirk, and they wore no aprons.

Photos show these Gordon Highlanders in two distinct kits, sometimes seen together in the same photo:

1) kilt, Service Dress jacket, khaki tam o shanter, khaki hose, puttees (no apron or sporran)
2) Battledress jacket & trousers, Glengarry

[Shedlock2000]

I don't suppose this excellent gentleman expressed where he located his hose from? I am looking for a pair in this color as I regularly wear the P40 BD jacket. I have not been able to track down any hose which even come close to the sort of funny browny/olive colour of the BD jackets - yet his are perfect!

I have tried 'What Price Glory', but no luck (thought they have some lovely boots!)

Does anyone have any suggestions? House of cheviot, USA kilts etc. have all come up blank.

Excellent photo of your daughter, and well done to the re-enactors!!

[OC Richard]

Not these?

http://ww2-living-history.com/shopexd.asp?id=3091

I've noticed in WWII photos that the colour of kilt hose varied from regiment to regiment, and varied sometimes in the same regiment between ORs and Sergeants (or senior Sergeants) and Officers.

Thus Officers and senior Sergeants in The Black Watch wore beige hose, not khaki (British sense).

Here you can clearly see different colours worn by the officers of various regiments in the 51st Highland Division, North Africa, WWII

[MacCathmhaoil]

The gas mask screams WWI doesn't it?

[BCAC]

Not these?

http://ww2-living-history.com/shopexd.asp?id=3091

I've noticed in WWII photos that the colour of kilt hose varied from regiment to regiment, and varied sometimes in the same regiment between ORs and Sergeants (or senior Sergeants) and Officers.

Thus Officers and senior Sergeants in The Black Watch wore beige hose, not khaki (British sense).

Here you can clearly see different colours worn by the officers of various regiments in the 51st Highland Division, North Africa, WWII

They probably had supply problems too, Richard. It was war time, after all.

[OC Richard]

I don't know if it's supply problems, at least with the high-ranking officers in the painting above. Note that Black Watch officers are all wearing beige (khaki in the American sense) hose, while officers of The Seaforth Highlanders and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders are all wearing Lovat hose. None are wearing khaki (in the British sense, the colour we Americans call Olive Drab).

Another small regimental custom seen in this and in thousands of other photos is the Black Watch wearing lighter-coloured tie-tapes on their puttees. Ordinarily the herringbone woven tape that the puttees are tied with are nearly the same colour as the wool of the puttees themselves, but not in the Black Watch.

Here are the ordinary colours of these puttees. I have a pair exactly like this. This is Pipe Major John MacLellan of The Seaforth Highlanders, WWII



Here in The Black Watch you can see the much lighter shade of the tie-tapes on the ORs' puttees.

Note that the Pipe Major (John McNichol) is wearing the Officers' style hose, beige, and also lighter colour puttees.