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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Canadian kilts with pockets 1914


trajan

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Yes, they are members of the First Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain.

Moonraker

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I'd say the original pic is of kilt aprons - certainly the centre and left characters seem to have kilts showing under the apron.

There is no doubt in my mind those are all kilt aprons in the original post. Just pointing out it is rare but possible to find kilts which at first sight share many similar characteristics, including a front pocket :thumbsup:

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Just to expand on my post 27, written in haste last night. The image appears on a postcard captioned "With the Canadian Highlanders in their English Camp. Scotties from Overseas. Officers of the Canadian Highlanders". It was published by Tuck's in one of its series of cards relating to "Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain".

I've a vague feeling that the image has been posted before on GWF, perhaps even by me, though a Search yields nothing. I might have been querying the precise unit and/or enquiring about the safety pin securing the kilt of the man on the left.

Moonraker

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...The image appears on a postcard captioned "With the Canadian Highlanders in their English Camp. Scotties from Overseas. Officers of the Canadian Highlanders". It was published by Tuck's in one of its series of cards relating to "Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain".

You mean that it may have been lifted by some Frenchman to fill his big tome w/o acknowledging the source! Faire un scandale!

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I've also found this image in the collection of the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF) with this bibliographical catalogue data ...

Type : image fixe, monographie
Titre(s) : Officiers de Highlanders canadiens [en kilts] [image fixe] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]
Publication : [Octobre 1914]
Description matérielle : 1 photogr. nég. sur verre ; 13 x 18 cm (sup.)
Référence(s) : Rol, 42902
Auteur(s) : Agence Rol . Agence photographique
Date de l'événement : 1914-10
Genre iconographique : Photographie de presse -- 1900-1945
Notice n° : FRBNF40501286

Agence Rol was a French press agency, so are probably not the origin of the image, rather its distributor in France. Note the Oct 1914 date.

Here's the link to the image itself - somewhat better quality than the scan from the book: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6932321h

Edited by MBrockway
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'Tis indeed better than the album one - thanks. Funny, though, never having noticed these things before they now seem to crop up in all sorts of non-kilt related g**gle searches!

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... Agenc Rol was a French press agency, so are probably not the origin of the image, rather its distributor in France. Note the Oct 1914 date...

Quick work by the agency then, as the First Contingent only got to England in mid-October, to be greeted with great enthusiasm - its 32,000 members were the first from overseas to arrive in the UK and there was a great deal of newspaper interest.

Moonraker

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Quick work by the agency then, as the First Contingent only got to England in mid-October, to be greeted with great enthusiasm - its 32,000 members were the first from overseas to arrive in the UK and there was a great deal of newspaper interest.

Moonraker

"Date de l'événement" actually means 'date of the event', which tallies with what you say. The exact date Agence Rol began distributing the image in France is not clear, though soon after would make sense if, as you say, it was a hot item in the British press.

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I have another photo from this set. Hadn't seen this one before so that's a good find - thanks.

I do have one rather odd photo of Canadian Scots on Sailsbury plain which would seem to fit with the current discussion of sporrans (see below for a little known Canadian pattern!)

post-14525-0-53097100-1406566773_thumb.j

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Additional out-of-the-ordinary sporran patterns being worn here in WW2 in Colditz ...

post-20192-0-30440500-1406569336_thumb.j

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Steady. I have a battery of photos of Richard Wattis and I'm not afraid to use them.

Incidentally, I know the French for "kilt". You really do learn something every day on this here Forum.

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Additional out-of-the-ordinary sporran patterns being worn here in WW2 in Colditz ...

attachicon.gifColditz kilts.jpg

Is that a head of broccoli on the chap 2nd from left?

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I think he's just pleased to see you.

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Is that a head of broccoli on the chap 2nd from left?

I doubt if fresh broccoli would survive long in Colditz :w00t:

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In post #28 - the kiltie closest to the camera in the line - I'd swear it's a women. It looks like there is a set of 36 DD stacked under the tunic. It'd be hard to cover those.

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Secret cache of Mum's plum-duff puddings in case he gets hungry on the journey?

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Secret cache of Mum's plum-duff puddings in case he gets hungry on the journey?

A clootie dumpling surely?

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:thumbsup:

Let's just hope that they didn't explode!

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  • 1 month later...

Not necessarily Canadian... I found this one, as one does, by chance when looking for something else, but the google link led to a closed discussion on some Scottish thread so I can't provide any more data. It looks a bit over-colourised to me, but a nice view nonetheless!

post-69449-0-80907800-1411137464_thumb.j

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Kilts were infamously difficult to de-louse primarily because of the pleats. If i remember correctly there are several yards of cloth used in their manufacture.

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Here is the front and rear view of a drab kilt, mentioned in an earlier post. It is in a private collection. The kilt belonged to a member of the 241st Canadian Scottish Borderers 1916, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The kilt is of a wool tartan material in khaki colour. The 241st, normally wore the McGregor tartan. At some point during the war, these kilts were issued overseas as an economy measure, and also to more standardize the many highland regiments. The khaki coloured canvas apron with front pocket would have been worn over this kilt. Hope this helps answer the question.

241stkiltfront_zps63284fd8.jpg241stkhakikiltback_zps6643989c.jpg

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This pic of poor quality shows the same kilt with it's companion typical highland cutaway tunic.

post-35674-0-95996300-1411188652_thumb.j

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This question is asked purely out of interest. Would those items fit the definition of the kilt and would it have caused problems/questions with traditionalist kilt wearers at the time. I have seen kilts being worn in England at weddings that owe much to that design but cant help feeling it is for fashion and ease of wear rather than tradition.

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