Baggers
Practically Family
- Messages
- 861
- Location
- Allen, Texas, USA
I know that Spring has only just started, and that in some parts of the northern hemisphere snow is still on the ground. But in anticipation of warmer weather, my thoughts have turned to tropical uniforms and have started dusting off some things in my collection as well as making a couple of new acqusitions. To start the ball rolling, here's my take on what the typical British soldier would have worn at the beginning of WW2 (1939, for those of you who think it started with Pearl Harbor!) if he were stationed in Egypt, Bombay, or Singapore. This is a bit of a "fantasy outfit," in that it is a mixed bag of items that were used in widely different locations at different times but still conveys the overall concept of tropical clothing as used by the British:
From top to bottom:
The helmet, or topee, is something I picked up 20 years ago at Banana Republic (everyone repeat after me, "back when it was a cool store"), and is modeled on the khaki solar pith hat worn in India at the beginning of the war. It was really never seen outside of India or Asia, as the the main helmet worn by British troops in other locations such as Egypt and Palestine was the Universal Foreign Service Khaki Helmet, or "Wolseley" pattern cork helmet. I've got a repro of one of those as well, but just happened to have the topee easily to hand.
The khaki aertex desert shirt is from What Price Glory. Made from a breezy open cellular weave cotton fabric called Aertex, it's a pullover style shirt with a four button placket, two pleated front pockets with pointed flaps fastened by buttons, removeable epaulettes, and a five inch wide box pleat on the back. It also has a four and half inch long venitlation slit in the underside of each sleeve at the armpit. You can see a couple of closer shots Here.
The 1941 pattern khaki drill shorts are also from What Price Glory. Made in a sturdy cotton twill (or drill) fabric, they have long baggy legs, a fly front fastened with a combination of brass buttons and two straps and buckles at the waist, a first field dressing pocket on the right front leg, two on seam side pockets, and three belt loops that also fasten with brass buttons.
The khaki full hose are a new item at What Price Glory and are primarily "officers only." They are simply wool knee socks that have a turn down at the top. Officers, when in the field, along with Other Ranks and NCOs usually wore something called hose tops, which were basically the same as full hose, just made in a courser darker khaki color wool with no foot portion -- they stopped at the ankle -- and which were worn with either web anklets or short puttees.
Finally, suede ankle boots, or "brothel creepers." I picked these up from Orvis a couple of years back, but they still offer them in their catalogue. This was a very unoffical officers only item affected by "Ruperts" serving with the Eighth Army in the Western Desert of North Africa. Uniform regulations were rather lax due to the nature of the theatre, and many items of non-regulation clothing were widely seen, such as brightly colored scarves, long sheepskin coats, corduroy trousers, and suede boots, much of which could be purchased in the Sooks of Cairo, along with other items like "violently" colored horsehair fly wisks.
Other tropical items included different patterns of helmets and other headgear, bush jackets, long trousers, and other items, but I'll save those for later posts. Don't want to "shoot the whole wad," as it were, doncha know?
Besides, if this thread doesn't take off, I can always post them elsewhere in the Lounge.
So there you have it. I know most of it comes from just one vendor, but Jerry has really cornered this part of the market and for affordable replica sources, there really just isn't much else out there.
Well, I now open the floor to comments, criticisms, and your own offerings in wartime desert apparel. Post 'em if ya got 'em!
Cheers!
From top to bottom:
The helmet, or topee, is something I picked up 20 years ago at Banana Republic (everyone repeat after me, "back when it was a cool store"), and is modeled on the khaki solar pith hat worn in India at the beginning of the war. It was really never seen outside of India or Asia, as the the main helmet worn by British troops in other locations such as Egypt and Palestine was the Universal Foreign Service Khaki Helmet, or "Wolseley" pattern cork helmet. I've got a repro of one of those as well, but just happened to have the topee easily to hand.
The khaki aertex desert shirt is from What Price Glory. Made from a breezy open cellular weave cotton fabric called Aertex, it's a pullover style shirt with a four button placket, two pleated front pockets with pointed flaps fastened by buttons, removeable epaulettes, and a five inch wide box pleat on the back. It also has a four and half inch long venitlation slit in the underside of each sleeve at the armpit. You can see a couple of closer shots Here.
The 1941 pattern khaki drill shorts are also from What Price Glory. Made in a sturdy cotton twill (or drill) fabric, they have long baggy legs, a fly front fastened with a combination of brass buttons and two straps and buckles at the waist, a first field dressing pocket on the right front leg, two on seam side pockets, and three belt loops that also fasten with brass buttons.
The khaki full hose are a new item at What Price Glory and are primarily "officers only." They are simply wool knee socks that have a turn down at the top. Officers, when in the field, along with Other Ranks and NCOs usually wore something called hose tops, which were basically the same as full hose, just made in a courser darker khaki color wool with no foot portion -- they stopped at the ankle -- and which were worn with either web anklets or short puttees.
Finally, suede ankle boots, or "brothel creepers." I picked these up from Orvis a couple of years back, but they still offer them in their catalogue. This was a very unoffical officers only item affected by "Ruperts" serving with the Eighth Army in the Western Desert of North Africa. Uniform regulations were rather lax due to the nature of the theatre, and many items of non-regulation clothing were widely seen, such as brightly colored scarves, long sheepskin coats, corduroy trousers, and suede boots, much of which could be purchased in the Sooks of Cairo, along with other items like "violently" colored horsehair fly wisks.
Other tropical items included different patterns of helmets and other headgear, bush jackets, long trousers, and other items, but I'll save those for later posts. Don't want to "shoot the whole wad," as it were, doncha know?
Besides, if this thread doesn't take off, I can always post them elsewhere in the Lounge.So there you have it. I know most of it comes from just one vendor, but Jerry has really cornered this part of the market and for affordable replica sources, there really just isn't much else out there.
Well, I now open the floor to comments, criticisms, and your own offerings in wartime desert apparel. Post 'em if ya got 'em!
Cheers!
