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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

The wearing of the Kilt


Guest MaryFM

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Guest MaryFM

Hi All

I could anyone could tell me which Regiments wore kilts only during the war and if known what tartan they were.

Many thanks

Mary

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Guest AmericanDoughboy

Mary,

Usually the Scottish Highlanders wore them, as well as Canadian Highlanders. Occasionally English-Scottish Regiments such as the Liverpool Scottish etc.

-Doughboy

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Not only what American Doughboy mentoined but pipe bands of certain regiments would wear kilts in the field. The 25th Battalion's Pipers from Nova Scotia Canada wore McKenzie tartan the 85th Nova Scotia Higlanders also from Canada wore Argyll and Sutherland Tartan Late in 1918 before that they just wore standard issue trousers. In the field a khaki kilt cover or apron was worn.

Best regards

N.S.Regt.

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Mary,

For the British, the kilted regiments were the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch), Cameron Highlanders, Gordon Highlanders, Seaforth Highlanders, and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Of the Territorial Force a few individual battalions of certain regiments wore kilts such as the 6th Battalion and 9th Battalions of the Highland Light Infantry and 9th Battalion (The Dandy Ninth) of the Royal Scots. In addition other Regiments contained kilted battalions. The London Regiment contained the famous London Scottish, 14th Battalion, which wore a Hodden Grey kilt. The Kings (Liverpool) Regiment contained the 10th Battalion, Liverpool Scottish, which wore a Forbes Tartan kilts.

Tartans for the other units were:

No. 1 (42nd) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and Royal Highlanders

No. 2 (McKenzie) Seaforth Highlanders

No. 3 (Gordon) Gordon Highlanders

No. 4 (Cameron) Cameron Highlanders

No.5 (McKenzie) Highland Light Infantry

Not the same as No.2 (McKenzie) worn by the Seaforths. To tell the difference you would have to get a measuring tape or ruler and measure the distances in sett patterns. Not interchangeable either.

No.8 (Hunting Stewart) Royal Scots

For the Canadians, those units that made it to France:

13th BN BlackWatch

15th Bn Davidson

16th Battalion (A bit complicated but eventually adopted McKenzie

42nd BN Black Watch

43rd Bn Cameron of Erracht

72nd Bn McKenzie

73rd Drab

85th A&SH (Black Watch)

There were a lot more Canadian Kilted units that did not make it to France

South African:

4th South African Infantry Bn Atholl Murray

There was also an abundance of kilted bands in units that one would think did not need bagpipes.

Joe Sweeney

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Add the kilted Aussies:

Black watch kilt No1:

New south Wales highlanders

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Guest MaryFM

Hi everyone

Thank you so much for your replies, and to Joe for such detail. I have always wondered which regiments wore kilts and trews apart from the Scottish ones.

My maiden name belongs to the McDonald clan and I was curious to see if that tartan was used, and I didn't know really where to look.

It is really great to have you all on the forum as if a question pops into your head 99 times out of a hundred someone will be able to help.

I have often wondered about the wearing of the kilt in such muddy and waterlogged conditions on the battlefields as I'm sure the weight would have made it a struggle to walk, in addition to carrying their packs on their backs.

Best wishes

Mary

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thought this article regarding the attempt to force the Canadians out of their kilts might be interesting.

post-23-1090770816.jpg

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  • 5 years later...
Add the kilted Aussies:

Black watch kilt No1:

New south Wales highlanders

61st battalion, Queensland Cameron Highlanders. wore the Cameron of Erracht

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The Black Watch (RHR) 42nd Foot Senior Highland Regiment were the first to wear the goverment tartan,The dark tartan.

albanach.org/blackwatch.htm · Cached page

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