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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

red trousers


j.r.f

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pals

I dont know if this forwards the red trousers debate,or if it shows my profound ignorance as to what the great red trouser debate is all about.to day i watched the ww1 films on the history chanel.there it stated that the French would not wear the kaki trousers but wore the red trousers because they were,i think,more manley.

have i missed the piont of the great red trousers de3bate or is this part of

Please enlighten me.

John :D

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hallo John,

FromWWI Infantry in Colour (Europa Militaria N°3, Laurentt Mirouze ISBN 1-872004-25-3);

"Since the Boer War of 1899-1902 had demonstrated the world the importance of drab field uniform, French reformers had been pressing for a radical modification of issue clothing, as much of the cut as the colours. Between 1903 and 1914 many trials were carried out with experimental uniforms of drab, grey-blue, beige-blue and reseda-green, but none were taken into service; ironically, a decision was finally taken on 27 July 1914, just six days before the outbreak of war. the French Infantrymen suffered through the first months in a uniform which had hardly changed since the franco-Prussian War." It was symboliccaly tricolour.

After the Marne a new uniform, indigo blue was readily available; not the red; so the new wave was reduced to 2 colours, blue and white. So the light blue shade passed into history as the 'horizon blue'. The only big change in the uniform was the steel helmet in september 1915.

greetings from Flanders

Joris Ryckeboer, Westouter

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