Regimental origin?

[Sir Robert]

The fact of the matter is that after a few days underwear gets funky and irritates the legs & crotch area so badly that infantrymen do cut them off and throw them away on long road marches. I suspect that this was true in the past as well.

As for underwear being newfangled and looked down on by tradition minded NCOs well that could be true as well.

[macwilkin]

I suspect that it originates from the original Highland regiments, since Highlanders did not generally wear undergarments before they were recruited into the British Army, and that custom would have followed when the regiments were raised. I'm at work this afternoon, so I do not have access to the library at home to look it up.

Matt?

Cheers,

Todd

[James]

Quite simply the undergarment was in fact the long shirt, so underpants/drawers were not relevant-this has now got itself carried away, and become an issue in it's own right.

Whilst all the nonsense about 'going regimental', only deters people from wearing the kilt. For to be correct on would have to identify the unit and the period.

James

[Kiltedfirepiper]

I donno the origin,but I DO know that the military (United Kingdom) doesnt have a problem with going regimental.....I recall a Pic of a kilted soldier lowering the flag in Hong Kong,and the back of his kilt blew up in the wind to reveal .....well lets just say ALL of Hong Kong knew what was under HIS kilt!

He didnt get in trouble for being regimental.....he got in trouble because his hose were uneven! so there you have it!!