Military Pleats?

[AlamoQOCH]

What a treat to find this site. I'm in my third kilt now. Some stories there, eh?

But seriously. For a re-enactor portrayal, I'm working up an impression as a WW2 Highland Regiment rifleman, specifically the 4th Battalion Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, 152nd Brigade of Infantry, 51st Highland Division, British Expeditionary Force, France, June 1940. They were among the unfortunate BEF remnants who were cut off from the Dunkirk evacuation by the fast-moving Panzer forces under Irwin Rommel (who would find himself here exactly four years later with quite a different outcome). Surrounded, against the English Channel coast in the French village of St. Valery. There, two weeks after Dunkirk, the vastly-outnumbered, out-supplied, 51st HD, under a sky dark with the air-superiority Luftwaffe, surrendered to the encircled German forces. 4Bn QOCH was the very last unit in the British Army to wear the kilt in combat. Rifle = 1918 BSA SMLE Nr1 MkIII* in .303 calibre. Tartan = Cameron of Erracht:

(If you can see the tartan above -isn't that a nice one?, so how do I add it as a graphic for my screen-name image? ///Edited 30Nov07: Never mind; it's working now, despite the "upload failed" message.///)

Anyway, more importantly, I need to find a kilt-maker who can do the 'military' pleats in the back (so that the tartan pattern is maintained showing intact across the pleated back). I realize I might have to source the material directly myself from a woolen mill in Scotland. One kiltmaker in Scotland recommended "Chisholms" in Inverness. Anyone know anything about them? Any recommendations here in USA?

[TheKiltedWonder]

There are a number of kiltmakers on this forum. I shan't list them all for fear that I've forgotten one, but if you look at advertisers you'll see a number of them or notice who posts on the kiltmakers part of the forum with "kiltmaker" under their name . As for what you call military pleating, that's generally called "pleating to the sett". The other option is pleating to the stripe, where you pick one stripe and center it in each pleat. When I think of military pleats, I actually think of pleating to the stripe. At least that's how the Gordon Highlanders do it. Anyway, any decent kiltmaker can pleat to either sett or stripe; however the Camerons did it.

[The Wizard of BC]

You may be referring to Military Box Pleats. This is where a regular knife pleat has been turned back onto itself.

Quite a few here have done this style of pleating and we had a rash of interest on this forum last year right around the time of Kilt Kamp.

You can do a search and find at least ten different threads on Military Box Pleats.

You might PM Way2fractious. I have seen his kilts done this way and they are gorgeous.

About your Tartan, any kiltmaker can order it for you. It is available in P/V and Wool, in all the weights, fairly commonly. Good luck finding a good price in 18 or 22 oz, wool though.

The Royal BC Museum has an original kilt in your Tartan and pleating system. I hope you live in a cool climate.

[pipesndrumsnun]

Can't help you out there, but WELCOME from Flint, Michigan!!

[jordanjm]

I think What Price Glory stocks military replica kilts.

[McGurk]

Anyway, more importantly, I need to find a kilt-maker who can do the 'military' pleats in the back (so that the tartan pattern is maintained showing intact across the pleated back). I realize I might have to source the material directly myself from a woolen mill in Scotland. One kiltmaker in Scotland recommended "Chisholms" in Inverness. Anyone know anything about them? Any recommendations here in USA?

I dont recall where I read this, or if it was accurate, but I beleave the militery fashion is to pleat to the stripe, meaning that round the back, where the pleats are, you get the vertical stripes in the patter showing on each pleat.
What you're describing, I think is 'pleated to set' which was the normal way of making kilts outside the armed forces.
Also, IIRC, militry kilts are generaly knife pleated and 8 to 8 yards of wool.

[Daaaaang]

If you're looking for military box pleats (which are, as far as I know, always pleated to the stripe), try these two:

http://whatpriceglory.com/scot.htm
http://kathyskilts.com/

If you're looking for knife pleats to the sett, that is the norm, and you can get it pretty much anywhere. Kathy does that very well, as do many people on this forum.

Any reputable kiltmaker should be able to get the wool for you.

[TheKiltedWonder]

I notice that What Price Glory has the Cameron Highlanders kilt pleated to the yellow stripe with box pleats. I'm going to assume that this is how they historically pleated their kilts, in case you want to ask another kiltmaker to make the kilt for you.

[James MacMillan]

While the box pleat is called, by some, the military pleat, it is by far not the only way that the military wore their kilts.

Some wore standard knife pleats, pleated to stripe - also referred to, by some as military pleats.

Others had kilts pleated to sett.

You need to do some more research into exactly how that regiment wore their kilts, if your desire is to be accurate. Asking for a military kilt won't necessarily get you an accurate kilt for your purpose.

There are also other questions - cut, fabric, etc etc.

But good luck in your search, and from Sunny Southern California!

[fluter]

This is the Cameron Highlanders kilt listed by What Price Glory --- new URL. It's a military box pleat, as someone noted.

From what we've heard here, the proprietor is very knowledgeable; you might ask him if that does not match your understanding of what's "period correct" for your date.

P.S.