Bill Millins Kilt

[figheadair]

This "barrel pleat" subject has been visited before, and I'm waiting to see a photo of a member of The Black Watch wearing such. I have seen, handled, and worn a number of Black Watch kilts from various periods all having knife pleats, and I have a pile of photos showing serving members of The Black Watch appearing to show ordinary knife pleats (though it's often difficult to see the precise pleating due to the dark tartan). As far as I know (and I gladly welcome photos proving me wrong) The Black Watch wore knifepleated kilts from at least 1881 to the creation of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

According to Bob Martin's 'All About Your Kilt' the barrel (piped) pleat of the 42nd made its appearance c1853. It was '....no more than the knife-pleat laid the opposite direction on the inside and left unpressed, thus showing the pleats on the outside, laying to the left instead of the right.' He then talks about how they were managed and why that gave rise to the alternate name the 'Cane Pleat'. Finally, Bob states that from 1936 to the 1970s the 42nd wore 29 piped pleats. His book contains at least one picture of a barrelpleated 42nd kilt.