Bill Millins Kilt

[Kilted Karl]

Dear Rabble,

I had heard about this fellow before http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

And reading more about him gives me just a little twinge of wishing I was reenacting him instead. But since I have decided to reenact Mr. Millin someone else absolutely must do Jack Churchill!

Any Takers?

Sincerely

:ootd: Karl

[Carlo]

Dear Rabble,

I had heard about this fellow before http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

And reading more about him gives me just a little twinge of wishing I was reenacting him instead. But since I have decided to reenact Mr. Millin someone else absolutely must do Jack Churchill!

Any Takers?

Sincerely

:ootd: Karl

Two or three weeks ago they had his longbow on "Antiques Roadshow".
I'm not gonna be a reenactor so it's not gonna be me, but good luck anyway

I'm talking about BBC One's Antiques Roadshow

[Kilted Karl]

Dear Rabble,

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in on this discussion it has been very helpful. I have my Cameron of Erracht tartan and am almost ready to turn it into a kilt. I had a question though.

Here's a photo showing how Cameron Highlanders kilts were pleated

Were all WWI Cameron highlanders kilts pleated to the same stripe?

Thanks,

Sincerely,

:ootd: Karl

[BobsYourUncle]

Inasmuch as you are portraying not just a Cameron, but a specific individual, and inasmuch as his kilt is in a museum, you should seek out the kilt to examine the pleats thereon. Having done so, you will have your answer.

If your question is geared toward reenacting other Cameron soldiers in WW1, you may not need to be quite so obsessive about whether your "Bill Millin" pleated kilt will be "correct" for WW1. It IS correct for WW1 because Bill Millin's father wore it for his service. If you pattern your pleating according to Bill Millin's kilt, you should satisfy anyone's standard for authenticity. Whether every other Cameron kilt, UK or Canadian, was built in just that fashion is not a question that can be answered. My fellows in the reenacting community sometimes obsess too much about this "correctness", or authenticity: those so obsessed are called "stitch counters". I can assure you that when kitting out the 13 Battalions that fought in WW1, no kilt maker had time to count stitches, or pleats, there wasn't the luxury of time or other resources. Having examined many period kilts, doublets and other garments, I can tell you that the amount and kind of variation in the same type of garments issued to soldiers in the same regiment would astonish most. The British Army had garments manufactured by contractors, and also by the Royal Army Clothing Factory during the period when that was in operation. The differences in cloth and methods of construction were often very wide.

Another point: you have had extensive responses about kilt construction pertaining to kilts in the Scottish regiments, much of which actually is more relevant to post WW2 kilts. The leather straps, buckles, green binding and loops all became kilt construction standards AFTER WW2. A more typical construction for a WW1 kilt would have no straps, and would be fastened around your waist by kilt pins. Did leather straps exist in WW1 kilts? Yes, they did. Were they typical--no. If Bill Millin's kilt has leather straps, they may have been there when the kilt was made, or they may have been added later. Do you care? Not really, if you find the kilt with straps, go ahead and make your reproduction with straps, if that's how you want to fasten your kilt.

All of this really just means that copying Bill Millin's kilt in the museum should be all of the assurance you need of authenticity. In my not so humble opinion, of course.

[IsaacW]

Looking at photos of the kilt online, it appears shorter than a typical military kilt. It could be the dummy that it is on though. I reminds me a lot of the ex military Cameron kilt I have that I shortened to a more civilian height.

isaac

[Nathan]

My military kilt is not that long. In fact, it's a little shorter than my civilian kilt.

[IsaacW]

Here...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...sh_Museum..jpg

[Kilted Karl]

Dear Rabble,

Sorry to have been remiss in posting progress updates. No pictures as of yet but I am nearly done. I have made the kilt and bought most of the rest of the kit. The last big purchase to make is the battledress blouse. I still need to make a sporran and get ammunition boots (may have to settle for DMS).

Items that I should have but can not get because of financial reasons would be a Bergen Rucksack and a P08 intrenching tool.

I will post pictures and the like when I have everything assembled. Most likely in June.

Sincerely,

:ootd: Karl

[seanachie]

Looking forward it to Karl. This is a project that has really piqued my curiosity.

[rlh2]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm fascinated.