Putee's why!?!?!?

My service was in the era of putees... arguably the most pointless item of kit ever issued (though I have no doubt there will be other contenders.... Trousers Barrack Dress Plastic or the DPM waterproofs made of crisp packets springs to mind, but I digress!)

My thirst for knowledge is why they took such a massive leap backwards, they dropped the putee (wound to below the knee) in 1938 and introduced the canvas gaiter, then at some point... and I dont know when.... brought back putees (wound round the ankle only) -- anyone know why?

Hi Dave and welcome to the site, not many Scaleys on here. If my memory is correct the puttee was re-introduced around '69 when Op Banner started. In my Regiment NI Order was Boots DMS, puttees, Barrack Dress Trousers, KF Shirts, JHW, Combat Jacket (Later DPM with Gloves NI). I think that it was all to do with the fact that you didn't have so much kit to clean.

I had allways been aware of Short Puttees during my service. They seem to be worn by people in airborne and other hyperactive mobs.
Having had our ankles bashed black and blue during training for NI it was a great relief for us to dump the anklets, web and don the puttees. They gave us some protection, they were warm and, more to the point, there was nothing on them that could be bloody polished !

Trousers, Barrack Dress-agreed. Belt Nylon Plastic, (with the raggy ends that frayed aforesaid trousers), another one. We adopted the universally popular '58 pattern belt.
DPM waterproofs ? After my time, can't comment.

Our Barrack Dress finally settled at;
Beret,
either Shirt, KD or Shirt No 2 Dress,
Wooly Pully, (as req'd)
'58 pattern belt,
Trousers Lightweight, (no complaints if "elastics" were worn),
Short Puttees,
Boots DMS.
Sensible dress, why not ?

I loathed that raggy plastic belt.......... had nothing to commend it, looked el-cheapo, had zero ally factor and the fraying spare was a mare.....

Didnt know that anklets lasted so long as the start of banner! thought they died earlier than that - sort of assumed they went early 60's

Barrack Dress for us was much the same

Beret
Shirt (Hairy) KD/2 Dress
Wolly Pully
Lightwieghts (elasticated)
Putees
DMS
Belt (58 Pattern/Stable/'orrid greed plastic thing according to OoD/SSM's mood)


Comfy and practical

(Editted for biff spelling)

I'm told the web anklets were the same pattern as those developed in the 1800's and. for them like me who can remember the WW2 black leather anklets issued to the Home Guard, these had been lodged in some ancient QM's store since the Crimean campaign.

Best bit of upper body stuff I acquired was a Dennison smock instead of a BD blouse. And I kept it until recently. Went to one of those re-enactment things some time ago where paras and Waffen SS played at soldiers. I was told most of the paras' tops were was replica gear, one offered me £300 for an original, more if it had been at Arnhem. I snatched his hand off.

And back to puttees ,etc....... Web anklets came in with BD and '37 pattern webbing didn't they? I 've a sneaking suspicion that the trousers for wearing with the calf-height puttees were cut short. Can't imagine that some of those in WW1 and later pics were wrapped round normal length pants unless the wearer had skinny legs.

I agree the Putee was replaced by anklets which came in with the 37 pattern BD from 1938


Whether the trousers were cut short ot not I have no idea, just been googling it and cant find any reference to the trousers being any shorter than normal all I can find is "Straight khaki trousers were gathered below the knee into khaki puttees" which would seem to hint that they were full length..... but none of the photos I have seen seem to show any bulk under the putees so sho knows........

The Puttie or Putty was designed to support the ankles I believe.I went from putties to gaiters then back to putties around 1969/70.

It was always impressed upon us naive young Boy Soldiers that Bishops wore Gaiters and Soldiers wore Anklets. Just saying.

Shelldrake wrote:

I was always impressed upon us naive young Boy Soldiers that Bishops wore Gaiters and Soldiers wore Anklets. Just saying.

Quite true Badge !

When I was in Boys "gaiters" were considered something of an obscenity and had to be hidden as much as possible. Fully-exposed gaiters were dubbed "cocoa tins" and the wearer called a "Nig" or a "Zom" or a "Rawarse". Ahhh . . . hormones !

The problem with Puttees was that if you didn't position them properly, they ended up with the pointy bit where the tape was stitched on, facing forwards or sideways, there was no "Default position". People would cut about a foot off them but then they wouldn't sit correctly on the boot. Why am I, 66 and a bit years old, sitting here writing about Puttees, FFS?

No default position?

The end of the putee should be on the outside of the ankle and pointing backwards, the tape in the centre of the putee, from memory about 4 turns of tape round the ankle then neatly looped round the tape to secure them.....

Trousers tucked INTO them was a major fashion faux-pas.......

SNIP

Maybe cos they were the best days of your life? 20 something and bulletproof

Trousers tucked into the putee. We wore elastics looked better.

Started my military career in 1959. Wore putties until 1968. Between the wools socks, wool B.D. and the putties I have eczema from wearing them . The eczema was cleared for quite a few years, but has come back lately. So maybe off to DVA to put in a claim. Funney enough on being released I was asked did I have any health problems, I mentioned the eczema and it was noted.

Putties and weights. Arrrgghh.

The eczema did get me out ouf wearing combat boots for short times.

Also a few years after release I was seeing a Doctor who was former British Army/India. Putties he said!!! You're too young. Had to to explain all about my contact with them. He shook his head in wonder.

One other useless piece of uniform was the hosetop.
In the RMP in Singapore we wore these as Im sure did other regiments/corps.For those not knowing they were socks without the foot part!
Going on duty we had our OGs starched to high heaven,with the hose tops over a "normal" pair of socks,then the puttees and over the tape of the puttees we wore a whitened elastic strip about 3/4 of an inch wide with a simulated bow.With this we had red tabs worn where the hosetops folded over looking very much like boy scouts.
Nobody queried it,it was just the accepted unifom,but by heck it was nice to get the hosetops off and have a good scratch!

I wore putees in the far east.The only purpose i could see was to hide the joint of the boot to the hosetop.We also had dinky garter elastics in the corps colours..

Putees were nothing more than a pain in the arse and served no purpose other than something else to be inspected.

In my humble...

Hose top in the CFE Pipe band in Lahr

RCAF Tartan

Play Amazing Grace

Drank free all night

Was it the hose tops that worked the wonder?

All that time learning the Pipes

When the hose tops did the job

Darn..... Now I know

[quote="Wilf"]Putees were nothing more than a pain in the arse

Blimey Wilf, how were you wearing yours then ?

Gordon. wrote:

We also had dinky garter elastics in the corps colours..

I can imagine!

Shelldrake wrote:

Gordon. wrote:

We also had dinky garter elastics in the corps colours..

I can imagine!

3 para Mortars????

The explanation I was given, many years ago, that they were to stop creepy crawlies climbing up the inside of your trousers

[quote="Hardrations"]

Putties and weights. Arrrgghh.
[/quote}


In 1966 I was in BMH Iserlohn having my Appendix removed, in the same was was a Canadian soldier from Verl who had been involved in a traffic accident. He had been wearing weights, which were fashioned from a thick metal at the front in a "U" shape, with a small chain at the back, the impact of the crash was such that he almost lost both feet.

Hmm, why was it that the R Sigs always demanded that us lot wear puttees, hose top, boots ammo or DMS, garters with Regimental flashes etc. especially in hot, sweaty, fly blown places.

I remember when psoted to Nicosia Airort with the UN HQ there, the R Sigs detachment who supplied the comms (radio, teleprinters etc) we all ahd to wear KDs (shorts and jacket) starched and ironed of course, along with highly polished boots, puttees, hose tops etc. It all might look smart to Army Barmy Officers etc, but itw as was a ruddy nuisance.

All the other Brit soldiers attached to the UN at Nicosia Airport all wore KD, unstarched, long lightweight socks which they bought themselves, with desert boots, again which they bought themselves.

On looking back at those years long ago, I'm sure some of the older long served officers of Major rank and below, or SNCOs who went through Korea etc, were all still imbued with the Old Style soldiering even back then.

But times move on, and would you, if you had your time over again, insist on wearing heavily starched KDs, hose tops, puttees or anklets, with garters and regimental flashes...... all sounds too much like hard work.

So do the lads and lasses out in 'Ghan and Camp Bastion employe Dhobi Wallahs to do their washing, ironing etc. I know we always had a Dhobi Wallah who came round offering to wash our KDS etc for a small fees. it was well worth it as the Dhobi Wallah did a much better job of washing, statching and ironing the KDs Trouble was they sometimes starched and ironed the vests and skiddies...

More time for laying about.....

Hosetops are still with the Jock regiments.We used to wear them with No 1 and 2 Dress in the Highland regiments and we also had green hosetops with putties worn with the kilt.Some Jock regiments had hosetops with tartan tops and flashes. My own unit had green hose worn with the brogue and flashes.

Some good images if you type in Hosetops of the British Army in Google and go to images.

unclevanya wrote:

Hmm, why was it that the R Sigs always demanded that us lot wear puttees, hose top, boots ammo or DMS, garters with Regimental flashes etc. especially in hot, sweaty, fly blown places.

I remember when psoted to Nicosia Airort with the UN HQ there, the R Sigs detachment who supplied the comms (radio, teleprinters etc) we all ahd to wear KDs (shorts and jacket) starched and ironed of course, along with highly polished boots, puttees, hose tops etc. It all might look smart to Army Barmy Officers etc, but itw as was a ruddy nuisance.

All the other Brit soldiers attached to the UN at Nicosia Airport all wore KD, unstarched, long lightweight socks which they bought themselves, with desert boots, again which they bought themselves.

On looking back at those years long ago, I'm sure some of the older long served officers of Major rank and below, or SNCOs who went through Korea etc, were all still imbued with the Old Style soldiering even back then.

But times move on, and would you, if you had your time over again, insist on wearing heavily starched KDs, hose tops, puttees or anklets, with garters and regimental flashes...... all sounds too much like hard work.

So do the lads and lasses out in 'Ghan and Camp Bastion employe Dhobi Wallahs to do their washing, ironing etc. I know we always had a Dhobi Wallah who came round offering to wash our KDS etc for a small fees. it was well worth it as the Dhobi Wallah did a much better job of washing, statching and ironing the KDs Trouble was they sometimes starched and ironed the vests and skiddies...

More time for laying about.....

Bit like the Gunner regime in Germany. I can recall being on Autumn/Winter exercises with other Regiments who were suitably kitted out in Parkas, Overboots, Scarfs, Wellies etc. Us? bog standard Combat Kit, Boots DMS and black webbing that had to be cleaned/polished - stopped us getting bored, I suppose!