Just finished reading, "MacDonald of the 42nd" by Donald Featherstone. The book is supposed to be the story of Hector MacDonald's service in the 42nd Royal Highlanders - the Black Watch.

Its a very realistic book - particularly in describing the hardships of soldiering in that era and the carnage of combat.

The kilt is mentioned a few times in the book.

When he is given his intitial training, "They were shown how to hang their kilt on two pegs at the head of the bed.."

Speaking of soldiering in the rain and kilts vs. pantaloons, "If the wet kilt and hose were taken off and wrung out, they might be immediately worn again with perfect safety; although the mosquitos were a great trouble to wearers of the kilt."

Speaking of sending out bands and recruiting parties by various regiments to recruit new members, "The 42nd needed no such assistance - the attraction of the kilt kept their ranks filled."

Of soldiering in cold weather, "It was not uncommon to see kilted Highlanders crying with the pain of their frozen knees."

Of soldiering in the mud, "the glutinous mixture made their kilts heavy and plastered them to the body, so that every movement of the legs was painful as the mud abrasively lacerated the insides of the men's thighs."

Of soldiering in hot weather, "the ponderous folds of woollen cloth that formed their kilts tucked into massive wads over their hips and without protection from the sun for their bare thighs and knees."

In India, a story of a young officer of the 42nd attempting to ride a camel for the first time, "and so became probably the first man ever to attempt to ride the humped beast whilst wearing a kilt."

Of soldiering in scrub brush, "Under his feet the dry grass and twigs crackled and his bare knees below his kilt were whipped and torn by the thorn bushes and undergrowth through which they were pushing."

Nice little peeks at the reality of kilting as a member of the Black Watch.