Uniform Items

[Jockbhoy67]

Hi all, just bought this lot mid-week, I am not 100% sure everything is WW1, since i am fairly new to collecting WW1 Militaria. Can anyone tell me what i should be looking for or if these or any of them is WW1 or not? The only markings i can see are a WD stamp, several numbers and letters, there is a faint stamp with 2 arrows facing one another which was very hard to photograph, one buckle missing from the kilt, but is in remarkably good condition for WW1, which makes me think its WW2, no dates on anything, fairly sure everything is Cameron Highlanders so any help appreciated.

[Iain]

war time kilts would be 7 yards long (pre war being 9 yards long) at I think ( without checking ) 6 shillings a yard

[gordon92]

The kilt is indeed the 79th tartan as worn by the Cameron Highlanders. This is the only regimental tartan not based on the Government tartan. The brighter green in the sett is indicative of an issued ORs kilt. It is properly box pleated to the yellow line. Whether it is WW1, I cannot say, but these are legitimate Cameron Highlanders items.

[Jockbhoy67]

Thank you both very much for taking time to reply, have discovered the two facing arrows indicate the kilt was sold out of service, will continue to dig around and see what i can come up with.

[wainfleet]

The kilt looks right for WW1 in terms of construction and material. The condition is not an issue. Plenty of well-preserved kit is out there. The 2 CH looks fine. The WD letters and numbers are in the right configuration, but that stamping looks a bit smaller than I would expect; this may however be due to the angle at which it was photographed. Even if it did turn out to be spurious, I still like the kilt.

The tam-o-shanter is definitely WW1.

Rgds, W.

[Wardog]

Nice TOS. Any more detailed pictures? Markings? Regards, Paul.

[FROGSMILE]

Thank you both very much for taking time to reply, have discovered the two facing arrows indicate the kilt was sold out of service, will continue to dig around and see what i can come up with.

It might well have been sold out as old stock when the 2nd battalion was disbanded in the years immediately after WW2. Such sales were common after regimental reductions.

[Jockbhoy67]

thanks everyone all for your help, here are a couple of photos of the tam o shanter as you requested wardog, there is no markings on it anywhere i can see, again it appears to be in very good condition, which was another reason i was concerned about it being ww1. Can you tell its ww1 without markings or a date? if so what do you look out for?

[FROGSMILE]

thanks everyone all for your help, here are a couple of photos of the tam o shanter as you requested wardog, there is no markings on it anywhere i can see, again it appears to be in very good condition, which was another reason i was concerned about it being ww1. Can you tell its ww1 without markings or a date? if so what do you look out for?

Great photos Jock, the ToS certainly has the old style of adjusting the fit, but I dont know if that remained the method in WW2 also.

[Jockbhoy67]

Thanks Frogsmile, can anyone add anything to frogsmiles answer?

[Joe Sweeney]

The kilt is of the period for QOCH, but not 100% certain Great War.

The WD acceptance stamp is a bit odd---It has the correct info for Great War but looks odd.

All of my stamped Kilts--5---has the WD Acceptance Stamp a little bigger and upside down or at a weird angle poiunting down--That is stamped on the white serge as if the inspector was viewing the items from waist to bottom and then stamping white Serge.

Also since that stamp is much clearer and darker than the others I would probably say added recently. All of my orginal stamped Kilts are on ones that have seen little service others wise the stamp fades and goes fast.

This does not mean its not WWI but only an anomoly from what I see as the normal inspector.

Also if Great War and in particular a Regular Battalion you would expect that the unit stamp would be 2 CAM and not 2CH. I believe 2CH to be a postwar (great War stamp).

Great War period Highlander unit marks were usually Seaforth --SEA. Gordon--GOR. QOCH--CAM. and Black Watch--R.H---note that those units having the three letter unit stamp the second two letters are smaller (Font).

I don't have a QOCH Kilt to a Regular Battalion but I have kilts to the Seaforth and Gordon's and all follow that marking convention.

Technically in WWI QOCH kilts were not supposed to have straps and buckles--they were supposed to be pinned. However these could have been added wartime by a wearer or were part of the kilt post war.

Its a an actual Army Kilt, which might be left over stock from the Great War--I believe that the Acceptance stamp might have been added recently--but not 100% sure.

Joe Sweeney

[Wardog]

I think later versions of TOS had 2 eyelets to the rear. Type of liner quilting on a later one I have is in smaller squares. Regards, Paul.

[Jockbhoy67]

Thanks guys for your info, i am learning as i go, your help and input are greatly appreciated. I do have to agree, the WD stamp does look darker than the others, hoping to get another kilt from the same seller, hes in his late 70s and just clearing out a bunch of old stuff, this kilt i paid £130 for, don't know if that was good bad or indifferent.

thanks