puttees

[Peter Beckett]

Just browsing the very interesting thread by Paul Reed (G,Day mate) reminded me to ask some questions about puttees. I have a photo of one grandfather and his puttes are very neat and wound diagonally and the other grandfather's are wound almost sloppily ( a family trait as my wife often tells me). were there regulations, etc on wearing and putting on. Did one start from the bottom or top and did one wind in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction ( I guess this might depend whether you were in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere )

I look forward to a steep learning curve

Peter

[Raster Scanning]

The Infantry wound theirs from the ankle upwards, with the ties at the top. The Artillery and Cavalary (and others associated with horses) wound from knee to ankle. There was a fad for winding them in intricate patterns, this is often seen in photographs but was frowned upon on duty.

Cheers.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

There was an art to 'winding-up' your puttees, which came with practice. These things were still worn, albeit just around the ankle, by the Army till about 1980(?).

Ian

[Tim Birch]

I have tried to wind putties. It is surprisingly difficult to get them neat and the right tightness. If too tight they stop the blood flow to the leg. If too loose they fall down after a few steps!

I didn't succeed in keeping them in place for more than a few minutes!

Tim

[Greenwoodman]

I can't agree with you there Tim. Puttees are surprisingly easy to put on correctly once you've had an earful from a drill instructor!

[mordac]

Hi All:

I never understood the reason for wearing puttees. Would someone please tell my why puttees were used and what their purpose was? Thanks.

Garth

[Martin B]

My Grandfather wore puttee's in the 1930's whilst serving with the Cheshire Yeomanry. When questioned by me years later he always prefixed the word puttee with some kind of expletive !!!

[CROONAERT]

Hi All:

I never understood the reason for wearing puttees. Would someone please tell my why puttees were used and what their purpose was? Thanks.

Garth

One theory states that they were originally intended to protect the lower leg from snake-bites when in India,etc.

Dave.

[Staffsyeoman]

In basic training with the much later wind around the ankle only puttees, we were told that they could make an ad hoc field dressing. Sounded plausible until I did combat first aid and thought of all the muck and whatever they would hold. So I might only use them as a sling!

I remember my grandfather (South Staffs 1915-19 and RASC TA 1921-40) telling me that there were 'regimental' winds of puttees, perhaps analogous to the various 'shrinks' of berets in the current Army.

[stevew]

Does anyone know when Puttees were first used?

[David B]

A google on puttees states that they were introduced because it was cheaper to outfit the British soldier with puttees rather than tall leather boots. The pattern 1907 was apparently the puttee used during

the GW so I would guess that it was about that time that they were first introduced.

David

[Andrew Upton]

The pattern 1907 was apparently the puttee used during

the GW so I would guess that it was about that time that they were first introduced.

Puttees were fairly standard for the average British soldier in the Boer War, albeit a different colour to those used in WW1, so it was some time well before 1907.

[Patrick ODwyer]

Reputedly they leg to varicose veins - certainly my grandad suffered from them after 12 years in puttees!

[stevew]

Puttees were fairly standard for the average British soldier in the Boer War, albeit a different colour to those used in WW1, so it was some time well before 1907.

That's good enough for me, a bit of further research on my part tends to suggest they were in use in the 1890s

[Joe Sweeney]

SD Puttees were introduced with pattern 5530/1901, 5 November 1901. This pattern sealed no less than seven alternate varieties of puttees, all made of drab mixture. Of the seven varieties one was made obsolete by pattern 5530a/1901, 17 December 1901.

However, the Puttee pattern predated the century with a khaki versions, which was replaced with the Dab versions above.

As the war progressed alternate patterns began to appear. Pattern 8130/1914 was approved as an alternate source . Also, the approved 8768/1916 described as “Puttees, Serge, cut on bias” and 9737/1917, 6 November 1917, “Puttees, Serge cut on bias and joined” as alternate patterns.

Joe Sweeney

[Andrew Upton]

Also, the approved 8768/1916 described as “Puttees, Serge, cut on bias” and 9737/1917, 6 November 1917, “Puttees, Serge cut on bias and joined” as alternate patterns.

Is this basically allowing the use of material joined together to get the full length, rather like a lot of reenactor puttees are (three short pairs end-to-end)? Just makes the latter a bit less unrealistic if it's correct!