X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.

   X Marks Partners - (Go to the Partners Dedicated Forums )
USA Kilts website Celtic Croft website Celtic Corner website Houston Kiltmakers

User Tag List

Results 1 to 10 of 40

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    1st February 15
    Location
    Wetlands of Norfolk UK
    Posts
    906
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Scott View Post
    Dubbin was certainly used by the British Army and, from the broad arrow marked examples here, appears to have been an 'issue' item: https://www.blancoandbull.com/boot-c...forces-dubbin/

    There are also some recipes here: https://www.blancoandbull.com/boot-cleaning/dubbin/
    Very interesting site, I hadn't realised the military had ever issued boot polish / dubbin. The site talks of its issue in WW2. But we certainly weren't issued with it by the 1970s we had to buy it ourselves.. Meanwhile there's a tin of cherry blossom not 3 feet from me.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

  2. The Following 3 Users say 'Aye' to The Q For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Join Date
    16th July 19
    Location
    Central Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    135
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by The Q View Post
    Very interesting site, I hadn't realised the military had ever issued boot polish / dubbin. The site talks of its issue in WW2. But we certainly weren't issued with it by the 1970s we had to buy it ourselves.. Meanwhile there's a tin of cherry blossom not 3 feet from me.
    We were still required to polish our buttons in the early 1980's and i can't recall being issued any Brasso either.
    "I know of no inspiration to be got from trousers."
    Lt. Col. Norman MacLeod, QOCH, c. 1924

  4. The Following User Says 'Aye' to Jacques For This Useful Post:


  5. #3
    Join Date
    18th October 09
    Location
    Orange County California
    Posts
    11,408
    Mentioned
    18 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    About the hose, you see plenty of photos showing Highland troops wearing their diced (or tartan in the case of some pipers) hose-tops with puttees.

    About the selfcoloured hose, I'm not sure about the colour. There might have been a wide range of colours considered "khaki" by the army, and due to variances among contractors. About WWI hose I don't know, but plenty of WWII hose survive and they vary from olive green to brown to tan and everything in between.

    In WWII officers wore different hose, in a pale beige, the same colour often seen in civilian kilt hose back then, not sure if this was also the case in WWI.

    One thing to do for sure: ignore the colours in the colourised photos of WWI soldiers, they get several things wrong.

    Here's a photo that was colourised around time it was taken, nice to see



    Before colour photography you have coloured B&W photos, and paintings. Here's one, showing hose that appear to be exactly the same colour as the tunics. (BTW it's rare to see the bagpipes painted so accurately. You can see they're fingering F, and some have their B finger lifted too, oddly enough.)



    Another painting, showing diced hosetops with khaki spats. I do wonder about the Royal Stewart bag-covers, perhaps one of the wartime battalions?



    Now back to the B&W world, note the pattern knit into the cuffs of his khaki hose



    Here's a combination I've rarely seen, khaki hose with spats



    An officer with pale beige (not cream, more like fawn) hose and (probably) brown shoes. Note the officers' brown sporran with tassels and no badge, seen in some regiments.

    Last edited by OC Richard; 11th August 20 at 05:04 AM.
    Proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; son of the Revolution and Civil War; first Europeans on the Guyandotte

  6. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to OC Richard For This Useful Post:


  7. #4
    Join Date
    3rd March 09
    Location
    Puyallup,WA
    Posts
    279
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Lightbulb brekin in the boots

    Ammo boots were notorious for killin yer feet until broke in. It's the double sometimes triple soles. What I and most everyone I know did was to put on a good pair of woolen socks and put on the boots as soon as we got them and take a long hot shower then wear them all day. That way they conformed to your feet and got the wax out a good bit. Then a candle, spoon and Kiwi polish to finish the process.
    Aye Yours.



    VINCERE-VEL-MORI

  8. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to Laird O'the Cowcaddens For This Useful Post:


  9. #5
    Join Date
    11th August 20
    Location
    Oakville ON Canada
    Posts
    292
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by The Q View Post
    Very interesting site, I hadn't realised the military had ever issued boot polish / dubbin. The site talks of its issue in WW2. But we certainly weren't issued with it by the 1970s we had to buy it ourselves.. Meanwhile there's a tin of cherry blossom not 3 feet from me.
    Dubbin makes sense if you're wallowing around in the Flemish mud. So does the whale oil that they rubbed on their feet, lest they rot off to the ankles.
    I will tell you though, having been in the Navy that dubbin will render your boots "unpolishable" and they will never shine again. (lube oil , diesel, JP-5 do that, too)
    Those ancient U Nialls from Donegal were a randy bunch.

  10. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to Ninehostages For This Useful Post:


Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» Log in

User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.0