New KIlt

[OC Richard]

I think pretty much TCHD. Open to suggestions.

Well done! That tweed ("moss"?) looks super with that kilt.

About flashes length, yours look perfectly fine to me.

As an aside, I've always as a matter of course turned the hose over at the garter, meaning that much of the length of the flash is hidden under the cuff. I suppose this practice dates back to when hose actually needed to be held up by the garter (prior to the hose themselves being elastic).

But now that hose don't really need garter support a strange (to me) custom has arisen among a lot of Pipe Band people: they wear the garter at the very bottom of the cuff so that the whole length of the garter is visible, as if it's their duty to expose the entire flash.

In any case flash length is like women's hem-lines, going up and down as fashion dictates.

Here's when flashes got their longest:

[Jock Scot]

Errrr ummmm, I really don't want to "rock the boat" here but THCD = Traditional Highland CIVILIAN dress. Military attire does not really apply here. Military Uniform regulations are really not applicable to civilian attire. We need to be careful.

Just saying.

[OC Richard]

Military attire does not really apply here.

Military fashion and civilian fashion invariably go hand-in-glove. Around 1830-1840 both civilian and military flashes were the longest they had ever been, or would ever get, because by 1850 they had got short again.

Here's a civilian from the same time period.



And another civilian.

[User]

...

What is the axeman wearing, some sort of protective apron?

[Kitfoxdave]

Many moons ago I attended a tattoo at Old Fort Henry in Ontario... the Axe Man in that group wore a white apron... my guess would be to keep the blood spilled from staining the uniform....

[plaid preacher]

Many moons ago I attended a tattoo at Old Fort Henry in Ontario... the Axe Man in that group wore a white apron... my guess would be to keep the blood spilled from staining the uniform....

Has nothing to do with blood, however. Pioneers in infantry regiments are like combat engineers; cutting trees to build bridges -this the axe- and building things up (in the modern context). Like cymbal players in military bands wear protective aprons so that they do not mar their uniforms with their instruments, the apron was to protect the uniform from the rough work of carrying trees about.

[Troglodyte]

Has nothing to do with blood, however. Pioneers in infantry regiments are like combat engineers; cutting trees to build bridges -this the axe- and building things up (in the modern context). Like cymbal players in military bands wear protective aprons so that they do not mar their uniforms with their instruments, the apron was to protect the uniform from the rough work of carrying trees about.

Sometimes it has everything to do with blood..!

Depending on the regiment and its original fighting function and style (I mean before mechanisation and modern weaponry) there were individuals whose job it was to dispatch humanely wounded and maimed horses, and remove their hoof which carried its identity. They would be entered into the casualty list accordingly.

The axe, unlike the lumber-duty felling-axe in the painting, was (still is, and is seen on ceremonial occasions) a form of short pole-axe, with a conical spike on one side and the cutting blade on the other. The spike was raised and brought down hard onto the poll of the poor horse, to give instant death. The cutting edge of the axe would then remove the neessary hoof and a 'poll' of the survivors would follow.

These days, you see these axes paraded on ceremonial occasions, when the 'butchers' stand apart from the main fighting element, marching or parading a few steps behind the main body to give gory significance to their role, and the men whose duty it is are often chosen for their large size and strength. The axes are polished to a bright shine and may feature other decorations.

These axemen will wear white aprons or other coverings, as if the show of blood is intentional - the more blood, the more glory.

We often hear the expression that someone has been 'poleaxed' but very few of us have a real understanding of what that actually means - thankfully..!

[Janner52]

Sometimes it has everything to do with blood..!

Depending on the regiment and its original fighting function and style (I mean before mechanisation and modern weaponry) there were individuals whose job it was to dispatch humanely wounded and maimed horses, and remove their hoof which carried its identity. They would be entered into the casualty list accordingly.

The axe, unlike the lumber-duty felling-axe in the painting, was (still is, and is seen on ceremonial occasions) a form of short pole-axe, with a conical spike on one side and the cutting blade on the other. The spike was raised and brought down hard onto the poll of the poor horse, to give instant death. The cutting edge of the axe would then remove the neessary hoof and a 'poll' of the survivors would follow.

These days, you see these axes paraded on ceremonial occasions, when the 'butchers' stand apart from the main fighting element, marching or parading a few steps behind the main body to give gory significance to their role, and the men whose duty it is are often chosen for their large size and strength. The axes are polished to a bright shine and may feature other decorations.

These axemen will wear white aprons or other coverings, as if the show of blood is intentional - the more blood, the more glory.

We often hear the expression that someone has been 'poleaxed' but very few of us have a real understanding of what that actually means - thankfully..!

The cavalry soldier who carry axes are farriers. Their primary job is shoeing horses but a part of their function, in the days when horses were used in battle, was to despatch badly injured horses. They also removed a hoof which was stamped the animals number as evidence of its death. Today household cavalry farriers wear black plumes on parade.

Infantry pioneers have historically been used in a sapper role preparing defences or clearing the way for advancing soldiers. They still exist in modern infantry battalions. On parade the pioneer sergeant carries an axe and wears the apron. Up until recent times he was one of the few soldiers permitted to have a beard.

[Jock Scot]

What is the axeman wearing, some sort of protective apron?

Yes he is, a heavy leather apron. From memory, I seem to recall that he would be known as a "pioneer", AKA a "sapper".

[DCampbell16B]

Not to belabor a point, but early civilian portraits show some pretty elaborate garter knots.

cf Lord Duffus https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/2313

Lord Mungo Murray https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/...-atholl-213512

I've tried tying those knots with long striped garters. Really not practical though.