At Home Dad Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Hallo all The Medical Officer for the 13th Essex 'Hammers' was Doctor Holthusen, MB from Forest Gate. He always, at The Front, wore his tweed doctors jacket instead of service dress and also wore a battered trilby instead of a cap/helmet. I presume this was because his Dr's jacket was more suited, or even tailored, to suit his requirements at the Front. Do you have any other examples of 'unconventional dress'? Kind regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Not quite as eccentric as the above; but nice to see this Aussie on the far right putting his football socks to use instead of puttees. Best wishes, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Can any Edwardian fashion experts advise on this type of headwear. I've seen the odd character in a sporting team wearing one, but never seen one with a regimental badge on it. Either way, I want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 I've seen an account somewhere of one officer, who came to military service later in life than most, when away from from the eyes of senior officers, wearing his bowler hat into action - a genuine battle bowler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Can any Edwardian fashion experts advise on this type of headwear. I've seen the odd character in a sporting team wearing one, but never seen one with a regimental badge on it. What a splendid photo - does the spelling of boys indicate a certain Oirish element? The head gear in question looks much like a piece of wear used by some cavalry regiments for fatigues (mucking awht the orses etc) about the turn of the century and based on something the French cavalry used to wear in similar circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Thanks centurion, It was one of the splendid Mrs Broom photos - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...om-auction.html I had admired the hat, and was glad of the opportunity to post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 21 December , 2009 Share Posted 21 December , 2009 Incidentally, it's nice to see that there are still modern armies with impeccable fashion sense. How he can wear that magnificent headgear and not be happy is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper Will Posted 22 December , 2009 Share Posted 22 December , 2009 What a splendid photo - does the spelling of boys indicate a certain Oirish element? I think it does indicate Irish recruits. In New York City there were many Irish immigrant gangs in the 19th century. One of them was known as the Bowery B'Hoys, and in posters and newspaper accounts one constantly sees reference to young Irishman as "b'hoys." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper Will Posted 22 December , 2009 Share Posted 22 December , 2009 Do you have any other examples of 'unconventional dress'? Kind regards In The Great War and Modern Memory Fussell quotes a regular soldier who noted that in the 1914 fighting (I can't remember, but I believe he said it was sometime after the Mons retreat) he was one of many men without a cap and wore a handkerchief knotted around his forehead. Until the 1930s or so people were greatly concerned with headgear. During Sherman's march through the Carolinas during the American Civil War, some of the Union troops were in desperate straits for clothing and wore women's bonnets. Apparently that was preferable to going bareheaded, although I'm sure the sun had something to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 22 December , 2009 Share Posted 22 December , 2009 One of the fairly recent editions of either Stand To! or the Bulletin featured a cover photo showing men of the 1st/5th York and Lancaster Regiment occupying a trench North of Ypres. One man has removed his jacket and can be seen wearing a civilian waistcoat. The same photo was used by Jon Cooksey in his 'Flanders 1915' study of the battalion early in their deployment. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 22 December , 2009 Share Posted 22 December , 2009 In The Great War and Modern Memory Fussell quotes a regular soldier who noted that in the 1914 fighting (I can't remember, but I believe he said it was sometime after the Mons retreat) he was one of many men without a cap and wore a handkerchief knotted around his forehead. Until the 1930s or so people were greatly concerned with headgear. During Sherman's march through the Carolinas during the American Civil War, some of the Union troops were in desperate straits for clothing and wore women's bonnets. Apparently that was preferable to going bareheaded, although I'm sure the sun had something to do with it. When battle fields were full of smoke and dust the shape of a soldietrs helmet or hat might be the only way of telling which side he was on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper Will Posted 22 December , 2009 Share Posted 22 December , 2009 In the famous 1916 Somme film there is an artilleryman wearing his service cap squashed down like a cloth working man's cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWRCo Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 Gents, ....military personnel will always wear kit that is considered to be more comfortable, warmer, and better than the kit issued. It happened 'then', it happens today, and will still happen in the future, no matter what 'issue' kit is brought into service! tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 Gents, ....military personnel will always wear kit that is considered to be more comfortable, warmer, and better than the kit issued. It happened 'then', it happens today, and will still happen in the future, no matter what 'issue' kit is brought into service! To which one might well add and considered to be more fashionable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Home Dad Posted 23 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 23 December , 2009 Thanks for the input everyone, especially those images Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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