Highland Regiments footwear during the Great War

[Ninehostages]

The original boots that were issued to the First Canadian Division at the beginning of the war were complete cr_p. They were of such inferior quality (another purchasing boondoggle by our infamous Minister of Militia, Sir Sam Hughes) that they fell apart as they camped on the Salisbury Plain during the winter of '14-'15. They were rubbish ... almost like cardboard and whatever the Canadian Corps wore after that is whatever the British could spare. My wife's great-grandfather served in Flanders/France with the Toronto Scottish (can't remember the Battalion number) and their kilt was a tawny brown solid colour. Brown makes sense but who knows when a million or so Imperial troops are scrambling for kit during a few short month.

[Macman]

The original boots that were issued to the First Canadian Division at the beginning of the war were complete cr_p. They were of such inferior quality (another purchasing boondoggle by our infamous Minister of Militia, Sir Sam Hughes) that they fell apart as they camped on the Salisbury Plain during the winter of '14-'15. They were rubbish ... almost like cardboard and whatever the Canadian Corps wore after that is whatever the British could spare. My wife's great-grandfather served in Flanders/France with the Toronto Scottish (can't remember the Battalion number) and their kilt was a tawny brown solid colour. Brown makes sense but who knows when a million or so Imperial troops are scrambling for kit during a few short month.

I remember reading that the members of the CEF referred to those boots as "Sham Shoes" in reference to said Minister.

[OC Richard]

The Toronto Scottish, and their parent regiment The London Scottish, have always worn those brown kilts, and doublets too. They call the colour Hodden Grey, it's a brown-grey with the slightest hint of purple, the colour that's called taupe in the USA and often called brown in England.

Here's the Pipes & Drums of the Toronto Scottish where you can see their Hodden Grey doublets, plaids, and kilts. Note that the kilts have royal blue fringe.



Here are some soldiers of The London Scottish, where the difference in colour between the khaki/drab jackets and the Hodden Grey kilts is clear.



However people oftentimes have only seen WWI black & white photos of the London Scottish or Toronto Scottish, and imagine that their kilts are the same khaki/drab as the tunics.



Wow I'd not heard about the shoddy shoes!

The thing of contractors providing shoddy clothing, blankets, etc is a recurring theme in the American Civil War. You hear of the dye running the first time the soldiers were in the rain and so forth.

[Ninehostages]

The Toronto Scottish, and their parent regiment The London Scottish, have always worn those brown kilts, and doublets too. They call the colour Hodden Grey, it's a brown-grey with the slightest hint of purple, the colour that's called taupe in the USA and often called brown in England.

Here's the Pipes & Drums of the Toronto Scottish where you can see their Hodden Grey doublets, plaids, and kilts. Note that the kilts have royal blue fringe.



Here are some soldiers of The London Scottish, where the difference in colour between the khaki/drab jackets and the Hodden Grey kilts is clear.



However people oftentimes have only seen WWI black & white photos of the London Scottish or Toronto Scottish, and imagine that their kilts are the same khaki/drab as the tunics.



Wow I'd not heard about the shoddy shoes!

The thing of contractors providing shoddy clothing, blankets, etc is a recurring theme in the American Civil War. You hear of the dye running the first time the soldiers were in the rain and so forth.

My spouse's great-grandfather went everywhere with the Toronto Scottish from the Somme to the end of the war and did it all in that kilt. He was a bit of a mucky-muck ... a higher ranking Quartermaster Sargent and likely didn't get too mucky (I'm assuming a lot, here). My wife does remember him and the imprint on his forehead of his maple leaf cap badge that was pushed into his skull by some concussion.

[The Q]

The original boots that were issued to the First Canadian Division at the beginning of the war were complete cr_p. They were of such inferior quality (another purchasing boondoggle by our infamous Minister of Militia, Sir Sam Hughes) that they fell apart as they camped on the Salisbury Plain during the winter of '14-'15. They were rubbish ... almost like cardboard .

Nothing changes, when the boots DMS that I was issued with in the 70s and 80s were replaced by more modern type boots they fell apart in hot temperatures..

The current boots sole falls apart in time as the rubber degrades, soldiers were putting them on and they'd disintegrate on the first walk. The MOD now has a policy of disposing of them after 5 years on the shelf. Unfortunately they tend to buy huge amounts at a time...

[OC Richard]

I know it doesn't pertain to the Highland WWI footwear, but my grandfather fought in WWI, in the US Army, and he said they were issued roughout brown boots which the soldiers brought to a gleaming black through their various methods.

At least the British brown boots shown earlier in this thread were smooth leather!

[Jacques]

Last week i did read an online article (reference not available) mentions the continued use of Dubbin and similar methods for water proofing the boots did turn the leather colour from brown to black.
And as far back as i've been able to find in British military history, when practical and even when not, The British Army has been polishing kit as long as there has been a British Army. So, even those few soldiers who may not have had available a second pair of boots, black, polished for inspections and ceremonial duties, could probably bring up a pair of boots, used in the field/trenches to minimum applicable parade standards in a surprisingly short albeit frantic period of time.

Jacques

[Laird O'the Cowcaddens]

As a young Jock/squaddie in the oh so distant past, we polished EVERYTHING including our "gutties" (plimsoles/sandshoes) even the soles of our leather brogues. As for Dubbin, we used to keep hidden what we called "field" boots. These were a well broke in pair of DMS boots used only for field exercises/maneuvers that had been laagered with dubbin to help keep your feet dry as possible. The only way to revitalize them back to barrack standards was to burn them with a candle/bic lighter to get the dubbin out; which usually was unsuccessful. I agree that the replacement boots for the standard DMS(Doc Martin Specials) where in my opinion a catastrophe, so I bought my own non-issued boots and only wore issued when absolutely necessary. RHIP(Rank Has Its Privilege's).

[Jacques]

As a young Jock/squaddie in the oh so distant past, we polished EVERYTHING including our "gutties" (plimsoles/sandshoes) even the soles of our leather brogues. As for Dubbin, we used to keep hidden what we called "field" boots. These were a well broke in pair of DMS boots used only for field exercises/maneuvers that had been laagered with dubbin to help keep your feet dry as possible. The only way to revitalize them back to barrack standards was to burn them with a candle/bic lighter to get the dubbin out; which usually was unsuccessful. I agree that the replacement boots for the standard DMS(Doc Martin Specials) where in my opinion a catastrophe, so I bought my own non-issued boots and only wore issued when absolutely necessary. RHIP(Rank Has Its Privilege's).

Dear Laird O'the Cowcaddens;
Thank you for the post. From my past experiences with British Army and the RAF (a fine alternative to the army) serving in Canada, i knew it would not take long before some Squaddie would come and prove me right. Polishing the brass fire extinguishers in barracks, did you do that as well? We Canadians must have learned that from you.

Jacques

[The Q]

Dear Laird O'the Cowcaddens;
Thank you for the post. From my past experiences with British Army and the RAF (a fine alternative to the army) serving in Canada, i knew it would not take long before some Squaddie would come and prove me right. Polishing the brass fire extinguishers in barracks, did you do that as well? We Canadians must have learned that from you.

Jacques

In the RAF but...
Only if the extinguishers were brass,, but they weren't, they were painted red, with the appropriate band of colour for the extinguishers contents. But they did have to be spotlessly clean, and if they had chrome parts, they had to be shining.

The brass door and window fittings had to be polished, along with the linoleum floors ( no electric polishers!!!) . Glass spotlessly clean, every crook and cranny also spotless. The inspecting SNCO wearing white gloves would run his hands over every surface including the tops of the doors on the light bulbs on the ceiling and at the head of the bed.
And then the toilets and showers.. Every surface spotless and shining.

In basic and early trade training.. Bed packs, the bed had to be stripped of all sheets and blankets. Bar one blanket, They were folded into a specific pattern, see photo below, that's not a box holding the sheets, but the bed cover, carefully wrapped around.
Note, the One blanket on the bed, the three lines of the weave straight down the middle, bulled shoes beneath the bed, and number 1 hat carefully positioned.
The photo furniture is exactly as I remember it. Except there was no card in the middle front of the bedpack.
If they didn't like it, your bed pack was likely to be thrown out of the window.. Raining or not..

I notice the basic error in that photo, the bed should be centred under the light on the wall... Someone would be in deep xxxx.

Once past the early trade training, the bed packs were not required, unless the flight was in serious trouble for something. Instead the bed had to be made properly, hospital corners, perfectly smooth and flat.

Boots DMS that's Direct Moulded Sole, can still be bought, though that's not the current issued boot. https://www.cadetkitshop.com/product...boot-size-6-12 an awful lot of polishing needs to be put into this new pair..

Oh the contents of the two cupboards had to be carefully laid out in a prescribed manner, including plimsoles painted in whitener, but definitely not on the soles...