Nettles for Central Powers uniforms

[Martin Bennitt]

One of my Christmas presents was a useless facts tome called 'The Book of General Ignorance', with a foreword by Stepehn Fry. The only Great War item was about German and Austrian uniforms, which said the Central Powers ran short of cotton so produced military uniforms largely of nettle fibres mixed with small amounts of cotton. The Germans produced 1.3 million kilos in 1915 and twice as much in 1916. The stinging bits weren't used, but I wondered if anyone who possesses or has handled such uniforms can say if they look or feel any different.

thanks and cheers Martin B

[Max]

One of my Christmas presents was a useless facts tome called 'The Book of General Ignorance', with a foreword by Stepehn Fry. The only Great War item was about German and Austrian uniforms, which said the Central Powers ran short of cotton so produced military uniforms largely of nettle fibres mixed with small amounts of cotton. The Germans produced 1.3 million kilos in 1915 and twice as much in 1916. The stinging bits weren't used, but I wondered if anyone who possesses or has handled such uniforms can say if they look or feel any different.

thanks and cheers Martin B

Hello Martin

I have never heard of nettles being used to produce cloth, but it can't be that different to flax for instance.

Andy

[truthergw]

Hello Martin

I have never heard of nettles being used to produce cloth, but it can't be that different to flax for instance.

Andy

I have a vague recollection of reading that somewhere. I'll cudgel my brain a bit and try to remember where. Wrong war but when Malaya was lost, research was carried out into synthetic rubber and roots of Dock were carefully examined. Not commercially viable I believe. The Germans had many ersatz products in both wars. Acorns in bread and coffee for instance. Thistles had a history in textile processing, their heads being used as teazels. Not too much of a jump to nettles which had long been gathered for making tea.

[MartH]

Hi

The Gemans also used paper, or was the paper made out nettles?. When my grandfarther returned from Germany in late 1917, he told me he had a suit made out of paper for the ferry crossing.

Regards

Mart

[owilki1984]

Hi,

In Richard Van Emdens book, Prisoners of the Kaiser, a former prisoner called Walter Humphreys described how he was put to work nettling. He says how Nettles were stripped, tied in bundles and sent to Germany to be made into cloth.

My great grandfather, also taken prisoner, was also put to work doing a similar job.

Amazing to think that such a mundane, and apparently unhelpful job could be utilized in such a way. It can be interpreted that these POWs were being made to prop up Germany, and thus potentially allowing her to hold on long enough to win the war. I wonder if my great grandfather was thinking this as he was doing the job!!! Incidentally if this view is accepted it contravenes international law.

I had never heard of this phenomenon before but it does show remarkable ingenuity on the German’s part!

Oli