1915 pic

[macwilkin]

Here's some pics of POWs from WW1. Note that the Kilties are the prisoners. Note how far back the Germans are standing.

In the brown sepia pics note that the officer is keeping his hand close to his pistol and also note the face of the smaller kiltie to the right. Looks like a huge swelling, it's rifle butt shaped but I don't know if that would actually happen.

We'll let this change the current line of conversation and then the mods can split this thread before we get into trouble.

Two of the Jocks are wearing gas mask bags for sporrans, a fairly common practice in WWI -- see Chappel's "Scottish Units in the World Wars" for other photos.

T.

[James MacMillan]

OK Todd - I'll concede that leggings and puttees are different. However what I said still is absolutely true. We Marines, have never used the term puttees. I am a member of the US Marine Historical Society and have many books issued by them and have access to their data base. Puttees are not listed.

They do make reference to leggings used in WW-I - and historical re-inacters, sanctioned by the Corps (these re-inacters are active duty Marines) call the puttees (your word, no ours) that they don - leggings. Historical uniforms have their own regulations and are strictly adhered to, when, at some of our annual Marine Corp Birthday celebrations they are used. There is a distinction between wrapped leggings and canvas, one piece leggings. No reference what-so-ever to puttees.

I will grant that we (the Marines) may have used puttees, we just didn't call them that.

A rose by any other name would still wilt if not watered.

[macwilkin]

OK Todd - I'll concede that leggings and puttees are different. However what I said still is absolutely true. We Marines, have never used the term puttees. I am a member of the US Marine Historical Society and have many books issued by them and have access to their data base. Puttees are not listed.

They do make reference to leggings used in WW-I - and historical re-inacters, sanctioned by the Corps (these re-inacters are active duty Marines) call the puttees (your word, no ours) that they don - leggings. Historical uniforms have their own regulations and are strictly adhered to, when, at some of our annual Marine Corp Birthday celebrations they are used. There is a distinction between wrapped leggings and canvas, one piece leggings. No reference what-so-ever to puttees.

I will grant that we (the Marines) may have used puttees, we just didn't call them that.

A rose by any other name would still wilt if not watered.

James,

I am familiar with the Marine Corps living history units. The word is not mine, it belongs to the British Army & the forces of the Commonwealth, and is originally from the Hindi patti or bandage. The terms are used interchangeably, but as I have pointed out, there is a difference. Wrapped leggings are puttees -- that's the distinction between them and canvas leggings. The Marines may not call them that, but they are puttees nonetheless, and they did wear them (wrapped leggings/puttees) during WWI -- the Marines were ordered to turn in their distinctive uniforms and wear US Army issue uniforms in January, 1918 by AEF Commander John J. Pershing. This included wrapped leggings/puttees. Before this the Marines wore canvas leggings.

btw, here is a contemporary reference from a book by Lt. George Strott, USN, entitled "Navy Medics with the Marines, 1917-1919":

" A hospital corpsman's equipment was the same as a Marine's except for the arms. Their pouches (or belts) were equipped with bandages, shell-wound dressings (large and small), tourniquets, Greely units of morphine, and iodine swabs. Bandage scissors were carried in the tops of puttees."

-- http://www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com/strott.html

Please do not think I am trying to pick a fight -- as I've said before, my (ranger's) hat is off to the USMC for taking pride in their history.

Regards,

Todd

[SergeantFirstClass]

This whole thing is fascinating. I have a "Photo History of WWI" that mentions that many AEF troops threw away thier leggings in favor of the puttees worn by the Commonwealth soldiers. I do not have the book on hand to scan and submit the pics though. It does however show the longer puttees on some of the kilted soldiers. Oddly, the only bagpipes in the book are being played by the Gurhka troops. I know they had thier affiliation but you'd think the photos in the book would show at least one Jock piper.

[ccga3359]

So what exactly was the purpose of puttees? And how were they donned?

[SergeantFirstClass]

I looked this up once. The one part I remember is support (kind of like compression shorts, just lower). I would have to imagine that they served the same purpose as blousing boots. I'm certain that they'd be easier to clean and keeps stuff from entering the trousers (this is mostly speculation at this point. The only fact I remember is the support comment. The Japanese soldiers wore them during WWII also.

[Macman]

So what exactly was the purpose of puttees? And how were they donned?

They are great support to your ankle and lower leg. They also enclose the trousers or hose with the boot, which keeps things cleaner and dryer. Keep in mind that boots were a lot shorter than the ones worn today. They also eliminate the need for full kilt hose, since regular socks and hose tops were worn. Puttees were also worn with trousers as can be seen on one of the photos above. (We were issued with trousers in addition to kilts). The ones we wore (ankle puttees, not the long ones, and this is all from memory of about 35 years ago) were about 4" wide and maybe 3 feet long. You wrapped them from the boot up the bottom of your calf and then back to the ankle. There was a tail end, approximately an inch to an inch and a half wide, which you kept wrapping around your ankle, then you wrapped it around itself and tucked the leftover in. The ending knot had to be exactly placed on the outside of your ankle, or you had to unwrap and start all over again. The whole thing was maybe 6-7 inches high when done.

[Nervous Jock]

The ending knot had to be exactly placed on the outside of your ankle,

Unless you were a Cameronian iirc

[CEF]

Boots and puttees were sanctioned to Highland troops on the western Front27/11/14, up until then shoes and gaiters were worn.
The short Puttee was not regular issue, being cut down from the long Puttee.
This proved to be popular, as the many photographs you see of Highlanders in the great are sporting this look.

shoes with feetless hose, this image was taken from a photograph depicting Highlander P.O.W's 1914 note absence of gaiters.


Regards
cef

[CEF]

Gordon Highlanders circa 1914
The Gordons wore Black buttoned gaiters