Putees

[McCudden]

Can anyone please advise me how British and Commonwealth soldiers secured their putees so they didn't unravell? I have been shown a 50cm khaki cloth 'belt' with a buckle and eyelets. Could this have been used for such a purpose or did Tommys simply tuck in the putee when they had wound it up their leg?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks

Jon

[RobL]

When you get to the top (or bottom if mounted), there's a thin tape you wrap around itself then tuck it in just to secure the top/bottom

[McCudden]

Thanks for the reply.

When you say you get to the bottom if mounted, do you mean a different system for horse mounted troops? Why is that? Do you think the miniature belt I described would be for this purpose?

Jon

[RobL]

For some reason, which I have no idea of, mounted (horsey set) troops, so cavalry, Army Service Corps if you were driving a horse-drawn GS wagon, Royal Horse Artillery, started their puttees at the top and finished them at the bottom. They used the same puttees as dismounted, i've never heard of a belt as you've described but could always have been a private purchase item

50cm is far too short for a WW1 puttee, which is about 9 feet long, even post-WW1 shorter puttees were 3 feet

[4thGordons]

For some reason, which I have no idea of, mounted (horsey set) troops, so cavalry, Army Service Corps if you were driving a horse-drawn GS wagon, Royal Horse Artillery, started their puttees at the top and finished them at the bottom. They used the same puttees as dismounted, i've never heard of a belt as you've described but could always have been a private purchase item

50cm is far too short for a WW1 puttee, which is about 9 feet long, even post-WW1 shorter puttees were 3 feet

I have always believed that the top down method was to prevent the unraveling of the puttees from friction/rubbing caused by riding. Fastened at the top the puttees end towards the top of the calf in the area used for guiding the horse etc... I may be way off but it seems to make sense - but then my experience with horses is limited to a donkey on the beach as a 4 year old and a near thing with a galloping cavalry horse ... both terrifying!

[centurion]

I think that this has been covered before - I think to tuck is the answer.

[McCudden]

Thank you all very much for your help with this.

Jon

[T8HANTS]

you should have a good yard of tape at the end of your puttee. wind this around the top of the puttee in the same direction of roll ( clockwise on the right leg, anti on the left) keep the tape neatly on top of each layer of wind, (about three layers) and then with about 3 inches left do a neat 90 degree fold and wrap the last of the tape around the layers of itself, ensure the end is tucked in. No lose ends, slack winds or gaps in the puttee to catch on things. If you really know how to wind a puttee, you do two cross winds about half way up your shin, looks very smart.

G