KILTS V. TREWS video newsreel film circa: 1957

[Foxgun Tom]

It's an old argument but still interesting!!

Tom

http://backup.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=34996

[cessna152towser]

A brilliant find, Tom, thanks for sharing this gem!

[HenryT]

Reminds me of an incident with the actor David Niven:

Niven requested assignment to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or the Black Watch; then jokingly wrote on the form, as his third choice, "anything but the Highland Light Infantry" (because the HLI wore tartan trews rather than kilts). He was assigned to the HLI, and his comment was known in the regiment. Thus Niven did not enjoy his time in the Army. He served with the HLI for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover.

From:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven

[vmac3205]

Loved it. Thank you

[saxandpipes]

Love the reaction of the lassies as the soldiers pass ;)

Cheers!

Michael

[James Hood]

A gem, thank you for sharing.

[Standard]

Cool new reel. Interesting to hear the soldier's comments at the end.

[OC Richard]

Fantastic!

I loved every minute of it.

What I don't recall them mentioning is that the Highland Light Infantry only became a kilted regiment in 1948... so it had been kilted for less than a decade at the time that video was made. It's not as if the switch to trews was a break with a longstanding tradition. (The parent regiment had switched from Highland Dress to ordinary English dress in 1809.)

Interesting the comment by the piper, because all pipers of Scottish regiments are kilted whether the regiment as a whole is kilted or not... so the switch to trews would not affect him personally.