Getting Dressed in WW1 - British Soldier

The British soldier of World War One was supplied with a basic uniform and kit, including woolen drawers, but once the weather became cold the soldiers added items such as vests and long johns. The women at home, encouraged by the Red Cross, Queen Mary's Needlework Guild and the Regimental Comforts Fund, supplemented the men's uniform by knitting. Socks were knitted with a seamless grafting technique that would come to be known as the to avoid a lumpy seam that would chafe the men's feet. A pair of socks would only last about three days of marching so a constant supply was vital. The standard shirt was made from grey wool flannel with a cotton collar to lessen irritation. It was nicknamed the greyback. The shirt had a buttoned halved front and reinforced bib ending with a strip of white cotton onto which the soldier was to write his number. This tended to wash or wear off in use however. The soldier also wore an identity disc on a cord around his neck. The thick wool serge trousers held in place by braces were khaki in colour. The British Army introduced camouflage colours for its colonial soldiers as early as the mid-19th century. The word khaki, borrowed from Hindustani, means soil coloured. The square toed leather ankle boots supplied to the soldiers had a sole reinforced with metal studs and were tied with leather laces. The leather for the uppers was used rough side out and heavily oiled and waxed to aid in waterproofing. Putties were another legacy from British India. They were strips of cloth wound spirally from ankle to knee as protection for the lower leg. Putties were widely adopted by the army in place of more expensive leather or cloth gaiters or tall leather boots. The knitted items created by the women for the soldiers gradually became known as comforts. They knitted not just for their loved ones but all the soldiers, known and unknown. Perhaps it was as much the love with which these items were knitted as the warmth they offered which comforted the men. Receiving them in the post was like touching home. The battle dress tunic was also made from khaki serge wool. It had four buttoned down pockets and an inner pocket at the bottom right front which contained an emergency field dressing. The epaulettes helped keep the webbing straps on the shoulder. The webbing carried much of what the soldier needed in battle. Ammunition, water bottle, backpack, entrenching tool and bayonet. A gas mask was also carried. Poignantly the carefully hand knitted rifleman's gloves designed to protect the soldier's hands kept his thumb and trigger finger free to operate his rifle. The brodie helmet was the only protection from bullets or shrapnel. It had a padded insert to protect the head from impact should the helmet take a hit. The artist rifles was a special forces regiment which drew its numbers from those educated in grammar schools and universities. From the ranks of architects, doctors and civil engineers as well as the artistic community. Joining it was regarded as a fast track to becoming an officer. Its hat badge was a combination of the roman gods mars and minerva. Whether the uniform included trousers breeches or a kilt it was made from wool and wool quickly became saturated. The kilt was a particular hazard as it would become heavy with water and mud then freeze and the icy fabric would cut into the soldier's legs. Time behind the lines was a chance to rest to get clean and dry and prepare for the next period of frontline duty. Soldiers would march many miles along duckboards in the trenches to reach their frontline positions. When there food and rest were taken where and when the soldiers could but once the trenches became wet conditions became unspeakably grim. The soldiers did what they could to create shelter and derive comfort from stories of home but wool uniforms provided little protection from the elements and none at all from the bombardment of shells shrapnel and artillery. It didn't matter what side they fought for each and every one of the young men in the great war was hopelessly desperately heartbreakingly vulnerable.