The Evolution of British Army Uniforms Through History

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  • Опубліковано 21 лис 2024

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  • @rhettcorcoran2879
    @rhettcorcoran2879 2 роки тому +403

    Fascinating video, I served in the British army from the early seventies until 2013, I always wondered about the evolution of our uniforms, I also wore some quite hopeless bits of uniform, however by the mid 2000's the uniforms had a pragamatic sense of purpose......thankfully!

    • @gasparddelaforce2764
      @gasparddelaforce2764 2 роки тому +30

      Quite the career. Well done Sir

    • @zaphodbeeblebrox9109
      @zaphodbeeblebrox9109 2 роки тому +9

      Decent stretch! Thanks

    • @SaorAlba1970
      @SaorAlba1970 2 роки тому +3

      when Scotland leaves Britain the rUK army uniform will have to change again as the union flag will be obsolete .... Scotland's place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK

    • @callumwilliams1449
      @callumwilliams1449 2 роки тому +43

      @@SaorAlba1970 Doubt Scotland will be in the EU for some time to come but otherwise thank you for your needlessly antagonistic response.

    • @SaorAlba1970
      @SaorAlba1970 2 роки тому +3

      @@callumwilliams1449 EU leaders said we would be fast tracked and Spain will not block our membership

  • @markharlock6474
    @markharlock6474 2 роки тому +144

    One correction: The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) was formed in 1949, ie after WW2. Prior to that it was the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). My mother Christine Leslie served in the ATS (attached Intelligence Corps) as a sergeant, working on 'traffic analysis' in signals intelligence. She served at a number of secret locations, including Bletchley Park (Hut 6) in 1944/45, only talking about her service in later life. As a family we are very proud of her contribution to the war effort. She passed away only last year (2020) at the age of 96. Her older sister Sylvia also served in the ATS (attached Signals) during the same years of the war.

    • @bfairfax8772
      @bfairfax8772 2 роки тому +7

      My Grandmother Betty Dransfield Yendell was an ATS Corporal on a gunsight in London until after D day then as an operator in Belgium till the war ended . She meet my Grandad who was a SFC with US Army while stationed near London and was married in Belgium 2 years later . Her CO actually had his wife's wedding dress flown across the channel for the ceremony .

    • @autismrules3622
      @autismrules3622 2 роки тому

      The very least she could do is go to a barracks and let the men gangbang her, it's the least she can do to show some respect to them.

    • @cyankirkpatrick5194
      @cyankirkpatrick5194 2 роки тому +1

      The Wrens were and Were a WW auxiliary service for the British navy I think you can find out more.

    • @xys7536
      @xys7536 2 роки тому

      I dont see why one more BRIT who didn't keep secrets 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @wanderinghistorian
      @wanderinghistorian 2 роки тому +2

      I don't doubt the validity of your statement at all, but when you say something like this and don't provide a source, it doesn't mean anything. This is especially true if you're trying to say someone is wrong and you're correcting them.
      Sincerely, a historian.

  • @StanSwan
    @StanSwan Рік тому +5

    Adore her knowledge of history, passion, and the way her moves with such grace and confidence. Amazing young lady that at 90 years old will still be worthy of hanging on every word.

  • @DavidSternburgYt
    @DavidSternburgYt 2 роки тому +197

    Sidenote, it wasnt an immediate change from musket to bolt action rifles, the martini-henry rifle was a breech loader, single shot trapdoor mechanism rifle that replaced the british army's muskets which intern was replaced by the bolt action rifle we see here (I believe its a Lee metford rifle)

    • @Josh93B93
      @Josh93B93 2 роки тому +13

      There was also the P1866 breechloader that preceded the Martini.

    • @TheSinkingTitanic2
      @TheSinkingTitanic2 2 роки тому +8

      @@Josh93B93 Snider Mk.II I believe.

    • @davidque7134
      @davidque7134 2 роки тому +10

      Yeah, there’s a lot they either glossed over or didn’t mention at all

    • @stephenandersen4625
      @stephenandersen4625 2 роки тому +4

      yes, it looked like a 20th century SMLE.

    • @Josh93B93
      @Josh93B93 2 роки тому +1

      @@TheSinkingTitanic2 that's right it is, glad I left it at P1866 because I was thinking of the Peabody

  • @victornewman9904
    @victornewman9904 2 роки тому +17

    Battledress was a product of the move toward "utility" clothing beginning with Jaeger's onesies in early 19th C, the great thing about woollen BD is that even when wet, you stay warm (hence movement toward merino first layer by SF/ infanteers)!

    • @paulkennedy927
      @paulkennedy927 2 роки тому +6

      Indeed! Once, in 1988, when I was living as a volunteer on a kibbutz on the red-line between Israel and occupied Palestine, an elderly woman emerged from a dwelling facing the alley where my boss and and I were walking. She was gesticulating and speaking in Yiddish or Polish. My boss was a Yemenite Jew so he went over and they managed to work out what she was trying to say. I was apparently the tallest and skinniest man she had seen since her husband had died, and she wanted to give me the military coat that he'd worn in the War of Independence in 1948. It was green, pure wool, quite scratchy and reached past my knees. I was told that it had probably been "liberated" from a British army barracks raid sometime between the 20's and 40's.
      That coat saw me through some rough nights, not only during my time in Israel but later that year in Brussels, on my way home to Canada. As late as 1998, it protected me for two nights outside in Halifax, NS when my landlord locked me out of my boarding-room. It kept the wind and rain and snow right out!

  • @LaHayeSaint
    @LaHayeSaint 9 місяців тому +2

    Both you ladies really made this display come alive! Thank you!

  • @anandmorris
    @anandmorris 2 роки тому +9

    I was waiting for Richard Sharpe's uniform!
    On a serious note, i would live to see a vid on Royal Navy uniforms; i always thought they looked awesome.

  • @GaudiaCertaminisGaming
    @GaudiaCertaminisGaming 2 роки тому +16

    Totally missed the most important aspect of the change from tunic to battle dress. The latter was designed for use in a mechanised army - troops that would spend a lot of time in vehicles. The battle dress allows you to bend at the waist, it was considered more comfortable to sit in.

  • @alanlawson4180
    @alanlawson4180 2 роки тому +44

    The Buffs - indeed, known by their facing colour. Specifically, there were two Regiments at the time who hasd a Colonel called Howard; this caused confusion, so they were differentiated by their facing colours. One was the Buff Howards, known as the Buffs, and the other was the Green Howards.

    • @madMARTYNmarsh1981
      @madMARTYNmarsh1981 2 роки тому +1

      My regiment was almalgamated from the Buffs and a few other Reg. P.W.R.R, 2BTN. We inherited very distinguished regimental colours and battle honours from their heroism.

  • @andraslibal
    @andraslibal 2 роки тому +51

    17:14 What you call an austrian knot is actually Hungarian hussar knot and it had an original function of stopping saber cuts before it became ornamental.

    • @SStupendous
      @SStupendous 2 роки тому +4

      Another knit-pick is standing with that flintlock musket in front of a post-Crimean War uniform. Plus the "expert's" examples of the evolution of firearms, as if we went from flintlock, smoothbore muskets to Lee-Enfields just like that.

    • @tommcewan7936
      @tommcewan7936 2 роки тому +1

      ​@@SStupendous it tends to get really messy trying to break down the progression in more detail because an awful lot of "new" British weapons were just very gradual modifications-upon-retrofits-upon-reworks of earlier designs to save on costs. The breech-loading paper-cartridge Snider-Enfield rifle, for example, was made by converting the existing 1853 Enfield muzzle-loading musket. The Number 4 service rifle, which carried on through WWII until 1957, was a highly refined version of the same 10-round magazine Lee-Enfield rifle designed in 1895 and used in the second Boer war. There were relatively few brand new designs.

    • @SStupendous
      @SStupendous 2 роки тому +1

      @@tommcewan7936 Regardless you get the point, surely. It jumps over way too much. It's the history of the British uniform, so it might as well be halfway accurate. Why should an 'improvement' not count? Snider-Enfield is an infamous and important British rifle.

    • @ghostie7028
      @ghostie7028 2 роки тому +2

      They are called Austrian knots in military fashion, they are from hungarian hussars yes. But they are still called austrian knots

  • @desthomas8747
    @desthomas8747 2 роки тому +25

    The Epaulettes were designed to hold bandoliers and cartridge boxes in place and stop them from falling off the shoulder, fringes on them were put officers outfits
    and came from the fringes on the scarves or sashes.

    • @chrisgurney2467
      @chrisgurney2467 2 роки тому +6

      the fringes were also there to buffer sword blows to the shoulders

    • @shastaham7630
      @shastaham7630 2 роки тому +6

      @@chrisgurney2467 As we're the high collars.

    • @cyankirkpatrick5194
      @cyankirkpatrick5194 2 роки тому +1

      I just learned that fringe was designed to draw water away from the outfit and I went 🤯

  • @meme4one
    @meme4one 2 роки тому +15

    24:20 that's a combat 95 shirt. Came into service around 95-98.

    • @tomwebb3081
      @tomwebb3081 2 роки тому

      Yep, the taped buttons alone were a giveaway.

    • @hairydave82
      @hairydave82 2 роки тому

      @@tomwebb3081 and the rank slide on the front

  • @chaz8758
    @chaz8758 Рік тому +3

    The "1980's" combat kit is Combat 95 (introduced in 1995) - which replaced the previous versions of temperate DPM worn since the 1970's (I wore three different patterns between 1983 and getting my Cbt 95 in 1996).
    My last unit started getting MTP in 2008 (along with Mk6A) helmets for those deploying only at the time (handed back on return).

  • @thegray5730
    @thegray5730 2 роки тому +1

    Sophie Anderton is incredibly articulate and well spoken, the BBC should keep her in mind for corespondents.

  • @gozewstuffnthings5837
    @gozewstuffnthings5837 2 роки тому +3

    The change from DPM to MTP was fantastic. Such an improvement in kit.

  • @chrisblackwood1505
    @chrisblackwood1505 2 роки тому +113

    Wonderful content, as always. Keep it up! The UA-cam revival is severely underrated, and I have a feeling that if you guys stick through it, you can be one of the great channels on the platform.

  • @chilikonlia5994
    @chilikonlia5994 2 роки тому +5

    My personal favorite would be after the Napoleonic Wars but before Crimea. 1820s to 1840s. Belltop Shakos while not practical are aesthetic perfection.

  • @david_porthouse
    @david_porthouse 9 місяців тому +1

    In the first Boer war the British wore red uniforms with white X-shaped webbing to indicate to the enemy where to shoot.

  • @frankryan3294
    @frankryan3294 2 роки тому +78

    They skipped one important thing-the olive green combat uniform that was introduced after battle dress and before DPM.

    • @RogersRamblings
      @RogersRamblings 2 роки тому +6

      And No2 khaki uniform.

    • @ianmatthews3041
      @ianmatthews3041 2 роки тому +7

      Was just reading through posts with the intention of bringing up the 1960's Green Uniform!

    • @Woodcutter1964
      @Woodcutter1964 2 роки тому +4

      They also skipped a big part at why the Uniform was red and how it was decided

    • @inconspicuoussalad7730
      @inconspicuoussalad7730 2 роки тому +2

      @@Woodcutter1964 I was just glad she pointed out the blood thing

    • @felixthecat265
      @felixthecat265 2 роки тому +5

      Combat Dress was copied from the Americans in the post war period. Initially this was in a green cotton satin material in three layers. DPM camouflage pattern material was only introduced in 1971 for combat clothing, although airborne and specialist troops had the camouflage Denison smock and the hooded Ventile smock from around 1944.

  • @Burvedys
    @Burvedys 2 роки тому +7

    Got British Army trousers - the best cargo pants I've ever had! Like half-century old design and still good to use.

    • @philipr1567
      @philipr1567 2 роки тому +2

      I inherited my grandad's 1940 army boots. Still in good nick, and perfect for heavy work in my garden.

  • @shastaham7630
    @shastaham7630 2 роки тому +3

    An outstanding video. I especially appreciated the showing of the picture of Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth (II) in the uniform of a mechanic/driver.
    BUT, fingers off the triggers, please. Thank you.

  • @catherinespencer-mills1928
    @catherinespencer-mills1928 2 роки тому +13

    My ex was in the US Marines. They switched from heavy cotton olive drab fatigues to jungle camouflage in a lighter material. Much nicer as I didn't have to iron them. He did have the dress blues, tailored to him, the neck collar nearly chocked him every time. I had to help him put the wool coat on, it was that tight.

    • @Riceball01
      @Riceball01 2 роки тому

      It's funny because when I wasin during '09s, ironing our cmmies was the order of the day. It wasn't until the adoption of the MCCCU (aka MARPATs) did the Corps (apparently) go back to not pressing one's cammies.

    • @swissguy101
      @swissguy101 Рік тому

      who cares about the us marines anyway .. yet alone your ex

  • @patrickbarrett5650
    @patrickbarrett5650 2 роки тому +5

    Excellent, full of information and enthusiasm, well done. 👏🏻

  • @neilraffan6756
    @neilraffan6756 2 роки тому +2

    Loved the photo of the Gordon Highlander

  • @ziggurat-builder8755
    @ziggurat-builder8755 2 роки тому +11

    Thanks, I enjoyed this.I am a Victorian re-enactor, so was interested in your Boer War uniforms.

  • @neogeo1670
    @neogeo1670 2 роки тому +2

    amazing to see a 300 plus year old jacket in such good condition fact it even hold up that long is amazing

  • @notmenotme614
    @notmenotme614 2 роки тому +9

    21:30 No mention that the steel Brodie helmet was introduced after it was found that a very large number of the casualties were from head injuries caused by artillery shrapnel. The brodie helmet shape was chosen because it was the most simplest and economical to produce.

  • @shehansenanayaka3046
    @shehansenanayaka3046 Рік тому

    Brilliant doc . History hit tv always gives us their best. Your huge fan from Sri Lanka ❤️🔥. Thnk you. We always appreciate your hard work and dedication..

  • @PaddyInf
    @PaddyInf 2 роки тому +7

    There are a lot of comments about steps being missed, particularly in later eras. Fact is the uniforms evolve a little bit every few years, so you can't have every iteration or the vid would be hours long. In 29 years (1990-2019) I had the old cotton DPM stuff, CS95, 2 versions of desert DMP, CS95 in MTP and then finally the MTP PCS with all the annoying velcro. I understand there's been a new one issued since then with less velcro. This isn't including all the versions of barrack dress, service dress etc.

  • @77heraclitus
    @77heraclitus 2 роки тому +2

    History Hit is terrific! Thanks for high caliber, entertaining history. 😊

  • @leespiderpod
    @leespiderpod 2 роки тому +7

    Makes one proud to be British

  • @samuel9272
    @samuel9272 Рік тому

    Seeing the words Royal Artillery on that ww2 tunic made me smile, great grandad was RA and its still a lot of pride for me to say that

  • @derin111
    @derin111 2 роки тому +29

    Amazing how small by modern standards all the torsos (chest and abdomen) of those older uniforms are….and it’s not really that long ago!

    • @McGintyNHD
      @McGintyNHD 2 роки тому +12

      Worth noting, to a certain degree, that surviving clothing in general is smallish, but some of that has to do with limited use. Especially in the 18th and 19th century, reusing, retailoring, and repurposing clothing was common, but small clothing was less easy to reuse.

    • @McGintyNHD
      @McGintyNHD 2 роки тому +6

      But, when you look at the cloth used to make uniforms, say during the American Revolution, the yardage of cloth seems to be more reflective of similar average size to today.

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому +3

      @@McGintyNHD nobody cares about the Americans

    • @McGintyNHD
      @McGintyNHD 2 роки тому +7

      @@jimmyboynottknown7713 Aw sweetie, bless your heart wide open. You know the British Army used uniforms during the American War of Independence too, don't ya?

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому

      @@McGintyNHD there was no war of independence just a treaty signed then a small town made 3 day fight when after that time the Whitehouse got burnt to ashes, if you lot are actually taught anything at all

  • @ursanbear
    @ursanbear 2 роки тому

    Sophie Anderton is a delight!

  • @Hairnicks
    @Hairnicks 2 роки тому +4

    Fascinating, thank you.

  • @le13579
    @le13579 2 роки тому +2

    Re the Intro, I think it's fair to say it is one of the best armies in the world, not just the most experienced.

  • @melissasueferrin3409
    @melissasueferrin3409 2 роки тому +1

    Here after the new King's proclamation. I'd love a video explaining the different uniforms and ceremonial dress seen there.

  • @Anne5440_
    @Anne5440_ 2 роки тому +6

    Very interesting. My mother was a WAC in the US Army in WWII. When I was in high school she gave me her 'Eisenhower Jacket, which looked very much like you WWII British WAC Jacket. I wore it for a couple of years as a jacket when we went camping. It was very comfortable until I out grew it. My parents met on duty in 47 in Germany when they both were serving in the Army of Occupation. Dad served from 1941 until 1962. Then he was recalled from retirement from 66 to 68.

  • @stevem7868-y4l
    @stevem7868-y4l Рік тому +1

    Very interesting, and delivered very nicely by two very well spoken young ladies,

  • @philipr1567
    @philipr1567 2 роки тому +30

    Very interesting, depite its limitations. Cramming 400 odd years of historical developments into 30 minutes inevitably results in omissions and will therefore disappoint some people. If you consider this as an overview of a small selection of uniforms I hope you will be inspired to learn more detail.

    • @badgertheskinnycow
      @badgertheskinnycow 2 роки тому +2

      Most of us could cope with the omissions - but there is no excuse for the repeated factual inaccuracies.

    • @Sxeirthanu
      @Sxeirthanu 2 роки тому

      @@badgertheskinnycow would you mind elaborating?

    • @badgertheskinnycow
      @badgertheskinnycow 2 роки тому +3

      @@SxeirthanuI can give you some examples. The DPM (camouflage) shirt as displayed is of a type introduced after 1995 and likely dates from the early 2000s - not 1980. DPM was introduced into service in 1970 - not 1960 as suggested (i.e. not "twenty years before" 1980). The introduction of the first ever 'universal issue' camouflage uniform of the British Army (also likely the first of any major armed forces) being a particularly important milestone.

    • @zaphodbeeblebrox9109
      @zaphodbeeblebrox9109 2 роки тому +1

      @@badgertheskinnycow most people will forgive and forget as a basic overview with a broad timeline. I dont think anyone is expecting depth here but point taken that some inaccuracies could have been avoided with some further research

    • @davidque7134
      @davidque7134 2 роки тому

      @@zaphodbeeblebrox9109 we may not demand depth, but we should demand accuracy from specialists in paid positions like this “curator”

  • @robertphillips6296
    @robertphillips6296 2 роки тому +1

    Thank you for posting.

  • @zerotwofive4997
    @zerotwofive4997 2 роки тому +10

    The DPM Shirt is part of the Combat Soldier 95 System (CS95) a new clothing system field in 1995. The Combat Soldier 95 System (CS95) was a major jump forward in both: design and fabrics and when shown side by side with a DPM shirt from the 1980s the two may look similar, but on closer inspection they will look different.

    • @stephentaylor2119
      @stephentaylor2119 2 роки тому +1

      A major jump forward??? It was substandard and the material was almost threadbare from the get go.The buttons drooped from their fastings and snagged on cam nets. The crutch area wore out in 6 months max. The trial kit from the CS95 was good, more or less like a version of the jungle kit, which should have gone on general issue. It looked good, was durable and the troops loved it. It made me laugh when CS95 won The Defence Clothing Design Awards. Like there was more than one entry! The army seems to be bent on making troops look like a buncha cunts. Look at all the iterations of various combat jackets and trousers, one I dubbed Pakistani Special Forces Cam.

    • @zerotwofive4997
      @zerotwofive4997 2 роки тому +1

      @@stephentaylor2119 Thanks for replying Stephen. Your right in saying the CS95 was shit and didn't last very long, because it didn't, I have heard that is was never made or designed to last long in the first place. The 'Canadian style' buttons were never sewn in the correct way hence the sagging, not that would stop them catching on camo nets. The Troop Trial versions were best, the worst was of course was the earlier version often called '94-Pattern'. However my main point was to say the system made use of more modern fabrics like MVP (can't call it goretex), polar fleece and ripstop cotton. Field gloves that didn't turn to crap when they were wet like the NI gloves. As for the design part made be I got carried away on that one. but when you look at other countries at the time, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US most parts of CS95 are better designed than what they had.

    • @lewisricekrispy2
      @lewisricekrispy2 2 роки тому +2

      I found the jackets rather useful in the field, but still wore my old combat trousers, and only used the Combat 95 when in camp.

    • @Danny-zi6xw
      @Danny-zi6xw Рік тому

      such as the rank slide insert is on the front instead of epaulettes and a slightly different variation of DPM

  • @yuantheblue
    @yuantheblue Рік тому

    Thank you for this overview--while not comprehensive, it certainly was interesting and kept my attention (and left me wanting more!)

  • @zed4225
    @zed4225 2 роки тому +4

    If I could of watched these in my history class at school I might have been more interested at the time. Had a less than inspiring teacher. Best part was visiting the Natural History Museum in London and visiting the Imperial War Museum with my Dad. Rest was all dates I couldn't remember.
    To all the Soldiers past and present. Thank you for your service to your respective countries.

  • @edwardwright4633
    @edwardwright4633 2 роки тому +1

    This was very informative and interesting. Thank you for downloading this?

  • @mausplan3890
    @mausplan3890 2 роки тому +3

    Nice , well presented and informative .

  • @12794lexilou
    @12794lexilou 2 роки тому +1

    My brother is serving, Christmas this year he asked me to sew velcro strips on his sleeves. I am now taking that as me being a part of military uniform history...

  • @andrewjohnston4127
    @andrewjohnston4127 2 роки тому +5

    24:10 a soldier 95 pattern shirt from 1980? Think you got mixed up with that

  • @therandomplushchannel4520
    @therandomplushchannel4520 5 днів тому

    I love old uniforms, though not sure about wearing them lol. Great selection for this video!

  • @desthomas8747
    @desthomas8747 2 роки тому +30

    You have missed out a very early important stage i. e. the Newly Modelled Army or the New Model Army, at the start of the English Civil War soldiers wore coats of a colour chosen by their Regimental Colonel. When the New Model Army was formed they were given a standard colour, Red, but a lining the same colour of their original coat. This become the colour of their facings on the English Redcoat Uniforms.

    • @britishamerican4321
      @britishamerican4321 2 роки тому +5

      Yes, I had always thought that the New Model Army was the first to use a standardized uniform (of course, the word "uniform" indicates standardization), and that red had been chosen simply because red dye was either the cheapest or most readily available (probably both) among dye colours at that time.

    • @desthomas8747
      @desthomas8747 2 роки тому +4

      When the New Model Army was being formed officers did not wear any uniform clothing, they wore outfits befitting their station and showed their position in life.

    • @thetruthwillout9094
      @thetruthwillout9094 2 роки тому +2

      Also the green coats worn by the King's rifles, my patent regiment.

    • @ceciljohnrhodes4987
      @ceciljohnrhodes4987 2 роки тому +1

      The establishment prefers to ignore the protectorate and its great deeds.

    • @desthomas8747
      @desthomas8747 2 роки тому +1

      I do not think there were any "rifle" Regiments in the New Model Army, there were suggestion that some were used by sharpshooters but that was never confirmed. First Rifles were brought into the "British" Army about the time of King George, outside the remit of the above period.

  • @SqueakyBe
    @SqueakyBe 2 роки тому

    25:08 Absolutely spot on!
    Absolutely hated how much velcro is on MTP and ubacs. Can hear a bod grab a boily from 5 miles away

    • @SqueakyBe
      @SqueakyBe Рік тому

      @Paul Fellows so she makes a comment about how she is surprised that they went with velcro as it's quite loud.
      This is very true, when we moved from the old woodland 95 pattern combat uniform (which was all plastic buttons) to the new MTP (Multi Terrain Pattern) velcro was added to everything.
      Chest pockets, shoulder/arm pockets. This made it massively restricting particularly in the infantry as you live off of what you can carry so you'll always be grabbing things from your pockets yet need to maintain noise discipline. Not ideal if you're in an ambush for 5hrs and you know you have a sneaky bit of chocolate in your pocket, so close and yet so far.
      Hope this clears things up 🙂

  • @Fenixx117
    @Fenixx117 2 роки тому +9

    Pretty sure that bolt action is a Lee-Metford which came before the Lee-Enfield

    • @stevethomas5849
      @stevethomas5849 2 роки тому

      tis a Lee Metford

    • @PaulP999
      @PaulP999 Рік тому

      Are you just basing that on the muzzle? - because the first Lee-Enfield had that style muzzle, as it is just a different rifling one would have to be very gifted indeed to spot that. The magazine looks long enough for a ten rounder, the Metford (and maybe the very first Enfield) was eight round. Where is Ferguson when you need him!

  • @dcross6360
    @dcross6360 2 роки тому +2

    I learned something today. Thank you

  • @puma1304
    @puma1304 2 роки тому +10

    Interesting! for a long time South American armed forces used to follow Spanish, French and Prussian models. Our armed forces (Chile) are totally NATO compatible and most of our uniforms follow now the US models, except the navy! which is still very much like a Royal Navy 2.0 (since Cochrane`s time), I own some Chilean Marines smocks that look exactly like the British model, and I think it is indeed one of the best designs ever. British military taylors were always good. I also own a WW2 Burma-issue field jacket that is wonderfully cut, BUT certainly too complicated and surely was not cheap to produce. Its Egyptian cotton fabric with micro ventilation holes is superb, too bad I did not buy more of these, since now they are hard to get (my daughter inherited it). I guess the shorts that went with this jacket must have been quite a pain in the tropics (mosquitoes, ants, cutting plants)... Some last pieces of my little collection are a WW2 woolen royal navy short service jacket, which now is used by my mother (very warm), and a RAAF New Guinea-campaign short jacket with its peculiar green color (North African issue that was dyed afterwards green). Again this is heavy cotton, but breathes, and looks superb, I use it fairly often.

    • @webtoedman
      @webtoedman 2 роки тому +1

      The shorts had extra lengths of cloth folded inside the legs, retained by buttons. They could be unbuttoned and rolled down to form full length trouser legs. These commodious garments were called "Bombay bloomers". They were soon discontinued during the war.

  • @janetkizer5956
    @janetkizer5956 6 місяців тому

    Fascinating documentary. Thanks.

  • @jeremyfriend4296
    @jeremyfriend4296 2 роки тому +5

    During the Civil War regiments wore uniforms according to their colonel's favourite colour: hence Prince Rupert's Bluecoats, both infantry and cavalry. The colonel would have raised,, equipped and paid for his regiment which normally would have been named after him, eg Saye and Seals, Hammonds, Capels, etc.
    Red became the uniform colour when Cromwell formed the New Model Army because he disliked the private nature of the regiments, and wanted an independent army. Which would fight for parliament. His new army took the uniforms of the Parliamentary Eastern Association, which was red. Simple as that.

  • @brandon7482
    @brandon7482 2 роки тому +1

    Great video! Funny seeing them handle the Brown Bess and Enfield, they looked uncomfortable with them.

  • @iainsmith6643
    @iainsmith6643 2 роки тому +5

    Who doesn't love a historian in uniforms.

  • @Gerryjournal
    @Gerryjournal 2 роки тому +1

    So many more questions I'd have liked to have been asked. Epaulettes, why, when. Hand sewing vs machine production, when. Great production though

  • @chriswoodworth1894
    @chriswoodworth1894 2 роки тому +16

    A very interesting video. I spent all my working life with the military, mostly with one corps. I could go into a mess with perhaps 30 or 40 officers and it would be hard to find two dressed exactly alike. There were some very individual takes on the word ‘uniform’.

  • @davetherave28
    @davetherave28 2 роки тому +4

    Great video !! -Just one thing that I noticed was the example used for DPM. Going on the buttons, I'd have placed this combat "jacket" / shirt to be post-2000. Earlier examples like the '95 had shiny green plastic buttons that were swapped out for the current style of matte plastic buttons.
    I thought the 1980 and "Falklands" era shirts were more basic than the example used here.
    Happy to stand corrected, though.

  • @TheRealDoctorBonkus
    @TheRealDoctorBonkus 2 роки тому +1

    Man, there's something about those khaki's, tropical helmet and handle bar beards - gotta love the outfit

  • @GrahamWalters
    @GrahamWalters 2 роки тому +10

    My experience in joining the RN is that best dress (No 1's) are made to measure, the rest is off the peg and it fits where it touches!

    • @RogersRamblings
      @RogersRamblings 2 роки тому +1

      "The clothes don't fit you, you fit the clothes", said many a military clothing storeman. :-)

  • @ditto1958
    @ditto1958 2 роки тому +1

    I’d have majored in history if Alice had been there when I was in college.

  • @richardbond258
    @richardbond258 2 роки тому +18

    I am from the States. I found this video very interesting. Especially, how the tradition effected the uniforms for such a long time. I wonder if there are videos like this for the French and Spanish in English. Thank you for sharing.

    • @Bumbley1
      @Bumbley1 2 роки тому +4

      As an American, and a Marine, I always find the similarities between our Marine Corps Uniforms and the British interesting. Extra Special for me because my grandfather was a Royal Marine. An additional one is the Marine Corps Band Dress Uniform (President's Own). They wear the Red Coat and could easily be mistaken for a British Military Unit.

  • @andremmuller
    @andremmuller 2 роки тому +1

    Loved this video! The presenters had so much knowledge

  • @tobermory8341
    @tobermory8341 2 роки тому +12

    It had already been planned to replace the coatee with the tunic (the short-lived double-breasted version) when the Crimean War broke out. Similar tunics were already in service with many European armies including other Crimean combatants such as France, Sardinia and Russia. Therefore conditions in the Crimea did not prompt the coatee's replacement in the British Army but they certainly confirmed it was time for a change.

  • @aaroncanniford9237
    @aaroncanniford9237 Рік тому

    Fantastic some I know lots I didn't. Great walk around 👌

  • @phoebus007
    @phoebus007 2 роки тому +13

    The dreadful battledress was replaced by olive green combat clothing in the mid-1960s, which you will see worn by troops when they first deployed to Northern Ireland at the start of "The Troubles". DPM pattern first entered service in the mid-70s.

    • @johnmundy1349
      @johnmundy1349 2 роки тому +1

      So many inaccurate statements.

    • @geoffreypine8255
      @geoffreypine8255 2 роки тому +1

      yes in 1970 there was no DPM in general use .

    • @NickfromNLondon
      @NickfromNLondon 2 роки тому +2

      1972 1 joined the University OTC we were issued the green NATO combat kit A No 2 dress suit, a greatcoat and a pair of battle dress trousers. Boots were DMS. Socks were polyester. Webbing was 38 Pattern. We handed in the NATO combat kit for DPM in 1973/74.
      The DPM was not of the quality of the Green NATO kit (trousers fully lined) but still quite good (trousers half lined). Over the years tho quality declined to be replaced with the Combat 95 system but that was after my time.

    • @men5crumm
      @men5crumm 2 роки тому

      you don't know much about this, do you?

    • @davidsmith2356
      @davidsmith2356 2 роки тому

      I went right through that clothing change, Cadets Battledress, TAVR Olive Green, and Regular Army DPM in 1975. I always thought the Infantry should have the best clothing, and it should be standardised throughout the Forces. THe Royal Marines have some great kit, THe RAF Regiment has the best, and its hardly used.

  • @stewartwilson382
    @stewartwilson382 Рік тому

    Your knowledge of Pride and Prejudice and who said what about whom is amazing ! At last, someone who ain't embarrased about, rather takes pride in, British history and culture!

  • @tonyk1584
    @tonyk1584 2 роки тому +71

    During my time with the US Army in uniform 1967 to 1971, we had class A uniforms (dress), khaki summer uniforms (casual dress) and fatigues. Fatigues were of two kinds, stateside and jungle fatigues that we wore in Vietnam. Velcro may have existed at that time but had not made its way into military clothes. I was surprised to find out that fatigues that I was issued (both kinds) had buttons in the fly area rather than zippers. I quickly figured out that a missing or loose button did not destroy the functionality of the "fly" area of my pants, and it was easy to fix a malfunction. With zippers it's an all or nothing affair. GI's including me don't like to go around with their parts flapping in the breeze. LOL

    • @iMertin90
      @iMertin90 2 роки тому +5

      You wear a pair of jeans with a zip. Less of it Rambo

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому +1

      You're only 245 years old, still pups

    • @tonyk1584
      @tonyk1584 2 роки тому +3

      @@iMertin90 Really?

    • @tonyk1584
      @tonyk1584 2 роки тому +2

      @@jimmyboynottknown7713 No idea what this means.

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому

      @@tonyk1584 unlike America where assumption and speculation judgement is rife, people elsewhere across the planet eg(other countries apart from America) , they actually speak and mean what they say within 1 singular sentence or paragraph with no alternative or ulterior meaning behind it, because what they ment to say they've already said it

  • @robnewman6101
    @robnewman6101 Рік тому

    Blood Invisible on the Jackets.
    That's one interesting thing about the British Army.

  • @williamgrech930
    @williamgrech930 2 роки тому +3

    The woodland DPM is actually part of soldier 95 kit

    • @ericcollins7455
      @ericcollins7455 2 роки тому

      S2000 , S95 has colour bleed on the underside of the cloth (like tropical DPM) , S2000 is printed on a yellow/khaki backed cloth which makes the colours more darker to the point they go black when wet.

    • @NickfromNLondon
      @NickfromNLondon 2 роки тому +1

      Thought so the buttons are C95

  • @thatguyswavomeer
    @thatguyswavomeer 2 роки тому

    Laura McMillen must be a very good producton assistant as she gets mentioned twice in the closing credits. Good job, Laura!

  • @TheFordmustangv8
    @TheFordmustangv8 2 роки тому +7

    The clothes in the first DPM is combat 95 style and not from the 1980’s, it was designed as a multi layered system and issued from 1995 hence combat 95….

    • @EDProductionsYT
      @EDProductionsYT 2 роки тому +2

      Wasn’t it worn in the Falklands which is way before 95

    • @TheFordmustangv8
      @TheFordmustangv8 2 роки тому +2

      @@EDProductionsYT the Germans were really the first to issue DPM clothing in WW2 but the British army only started wearing DPM in the late 60’s, the uniform used in the Falklands was heavy when it got wet and took to long to dry out, my dad was in the Falklands as a combat medical officer and he told me how bad some of the clothing was, I joined in 1987 as a combat medic and issued the same type only had too wait 8 years for the new Combat 95 and it was soooooo much better to wear….🇬🇧🇬🇧

    • @EDProductionsYT
      @EDProductionsYT 2 роки тому +1

      @@TheFordmustangv8 yes the Germans really were ahead of their time it’s only because of the unstable leadership that they lost.🇬🇧🇬🇧

    • @TheFordmustangv8
      @TheFordmustangv8 2 роки тому

      @@Kris155mm got to love the KF shirts, loved the Norge..

    • @TheFordmustangv8
      @TheFordmustangv8 2 роки тому +1

      @@Kris155mm I hated the crisp packet with a passion (Gortex to Endex) never worn the Chinese fighting suit because you couldn’t move in the bleeding thing and I always purchased my own boots, brittan boots were the best for me until they fell apart after a few repairs and years of faithful service our SSM didn’t mind..

  • @sneedchuckington
    @sneedchuckington 2 роки тому +1

    Good explanations and good questions.

  • @roberthudson1959
    @roberthudson1959 2 роки тому +6

    If I remember correctly, the USA armed forces reduced their use of Velcro-type fasteners after getting complaints from the troops. Not only are buttons quieter, but they allow for more storage in each pocket.

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому +2

      You're only 245 years old, still pups

    • @Bkings7
      @Bkings7 2 роки тому +2

      @@jimmyboynottknown7713 nobody cares dude

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому +1

      @@Bkings7 about Americans yep we know

    • @bogtrottername7001
      @bogtrottername7001 2 роки тому +1

      @@jimmyboynottknown7713 Come on guys, we're allies !!!

    • @jimmyboynottknown7713
      @jimmyboynottknown7713 2 роки тому +1

      @@bogtrottername7001 it's Americans like yourself that get it, all the rest are just bigheaded loudmouthed bragging think they own and create the entire universe, so full of assumptions rumour refusal dismissal of acknowledgement speculation indoctrinated delusion, unless its a certain part of America that shares that mentality. You're okay though you have understanding perspective the ability to see the entire picture in the frame not just 1 singular section of it.

  • @douglascharnley8249
    @douglascharnley8249 2 роки тому +2

    Red dye was the cheapest. The Treasury wins again.

  • @simongee8928
    @simongee8928 2 роки тому +4

    You didn't say that the WW2 battledress blouse was an officer's version, hence the open collar. Other ranks BD blouses had a closed collar fastened with two brass hooks.

  • @beakhammer2638
    @beakhammer2638 Рік тому

    Great video. Well done. From Ireland

  • @adamguthrie8522
    @adamguthrie8522 2 роки тому +3

    She lost me when she said the soldier 95 DPM shirt dated to 1980.

  • @alexcarson6503
    @alexcarson6503 2 роки тому

    A brief view of what is a fascinating area of study.

  • @wessexdruid7598
    @wessexdruid7598 2 роки тому +11

    Battledress, as introduced in 1939 (some of the BEF went to France in the old service dress), was very highly regarded for it's functionality, even if it often didn't flatter the wearer. Designed based on ski-wear of the time, the wool was actually very good for both warm and cold - and wool still holds heat even when sodden with water. It was also very flame resistant. (Stocks captured by the Germans were re-used for their U Boat crews.)
    Cotton, even tightly woven gaberdine (as introduced in the 1960 Combat Dress), once wet can be very chilling; it also burns if the wearer is caught in fire/explosions.

    • @MrDukeSilverr
      @MrDukeSilverr Рік тому

      Id say a well fitting battle dress ensemble flatters the wearer quite well

    • @wessexdruid7598
      @wessexdruid7598 Рік тому

      @@MrDukeSilverr The key word there is well-fitting. They were almost guaranteed never to, IME.

    • @RichardDCook
      @RichardDCook 7 місяців тому

      Battle Dress was tested with certain units in 1937 and started being issued in 1938. It's interesting to see photos of Gordon Highlanders in France 1940 showing Enlisted Men dressed in two different kits: the old Service Dress tunic with Tam O Shanter, and the Battle Dress blouse with Glengarry. I have no idea why the Glengarry was stipulated for wear with Battle Dress at that time. Of course soon the TOS + Battle Dress would become the image of the Scottish solider in WWII.

  • @NilesGimp
    @NilesGimp Рік тому

    What a fantastic presentation!!! Please go back and study another topic, like military drums, medals, or some other interesting topic....

  • @anti-Russia-sigma
    @anti-Russia-sigma 2 роки тому +4

    Pls.,feature footwear throughout history,as an army actually marches on its footwear.

  • @blatherskite9601
    @blatherskite9601 2 роки тому

    Excellent programme. Thanks!

  • @haalstaag
    @haalstaag 2 роки тому +2

    You left out Rifle green and the pattern of DPM you showed was not from the 80’s but early 90’s

  • @PANZERFAUST829
    @PANZERFAUST829 2 роки тому

    Excellent Video !

  • @katelynneshouse2834
    @katelynneshouse2834 2 роки тому +11

    Truly wonderful video but I would mention that the curator skipped quite a lot of firearms technology by going from a Flintlock muzzle loading rifle to the bolt action Long Lee Enfield repeating rifle; at minimum the Enfield Pattern Percussion muzzle loading rifle, followed by the Martini-Henry single shot breech loading cartridge rifle should have been shown prior to the LLE which didn't come to fruition until approximately 1895'sh.

    • @thebasedspectre3048
      @thebasedspectre3048 2 роки тому +1

      i noticed that as well

    • @Corky341
      @Corky341 2 роки тому +4

      I think the clue is in the title. 'Uniforms'. Weapons could be (perhaps should be) a whole series on their own :-)

    • @jerryvr
      @jerryvr 2 роки тому +2

      Not to mention the fact that she constantly has her finger on the trigger..

    • @angreyhewe4009
      @angreyhewe4009 2 роки тому +1

      i agree, the martini henry was a major change in firearms technology.

    • @heycidskyja4668
      @heycidskyja4668 2 роки тому +1

      @@jerryvr Chill, it’s not going to go off!

  • @evan8654
    @evan8654 2 роки тому +1

    The lack of functionality in the older uniforms is astounding.

  • @ericcollins7455
    @ericcollins7455 2 роки тому +8

    brilliant ! however the 1980 quoted jacket is the S2000 soldier 2000 kit , that particular jacket dates towards the back end of DPM's life which is probably 2007. In 1980 the only 2 pocket jackets available were the Number 9 tropical dress in DPM which would have a totally different DPM camouflage print and colour ways.

    • @LiveDonkeyDeadLion
      @LiveDonkeyDeadLion 2 роки тому

      Just started watching and I’m looking forward to seeing the batwing pockets and how much they were the ‘error’ part from ‘trail and’

    • @ericcollins7455
      @ericcollins7455 2 роки тому

      @@LiveDonkeyDeadLion the same cloth that came in to service around 1983/4 on the half lined kit would split when wet and stressed which was quickly superseded in 1984/5 a multitude trial prints till 1985 and the one that it still used today was decided. I'm a little bit of a DPM nerd lol.

  • @thejustice7305
    @thejustice7305 2 роки тому +1

    Good that there's a long lee Enfield but keep ya finger off the trigger unless you intend to fire it.

  • @836dmar
    @836dmar 2 роки тому +6

    Great content! I do hope the museum worker changed gloves after touching her face and hair so much. If that kind of contamination doesn’t matter then why wear gloves? Keep up the good work. Very interesting.

  • @PaulMcCaffreyfmac
    @PaulMcCaffreyfmac Рік тому

    Sophie Anderton is disarmingly and charmingly smiley.

  • @stevenmoore3130
    @stevenmoore3130 2 роки тому +6

    The uncomfortable 'high neck' on a tunic afforded some protection to the vulnerable jugular vein from sword and bayonet slashes.
    The early "peelers" police uniforms also had high leather armoured collars to protect them from "Garrotting" strangulation with a piano wire.
    The favoured method of Victorian "Bobby" dark ally dispatchment by east end gangs.

  • @johndaarteest
    @johndaarteest 2 роки тому

    11:49 reminds me of Corporal Jones out of Dad's Army.

  • @mauricestevenson5740
    @mauricestevenson5740 2 роки тому +5

    Great piece. Very informative. I would not have minded if some of the gaps had been filled, rather than jumping years ahead and throwing away comment on the intervening.
    But one thing set my teeth on edge. I would have thought that the British might have given staff working in that facility some rudimentary instruction on firearms safety. Was I the only person screaming "keep your sodding finger off the sodding trigger" and "please do not point a firearm at another human being"? The quickest and simplest way to stop any activity in the UK is to describe it as "dangerous". I know, I know, that flintlock was extremely unlikely to have been loaded but...
    Rant mode disengaged.

  • @mutualbeard
    @mutualbeard 2 роки тому +61

    A very good brief history. What concerned me was how the guns were handled. They were pointed at each other and the camera. I was told to always assume that a gun was loaded and never point them at anyone that you did not want to harm.

    • @neiloflongbeck5705
      @neiloflongbeck5705 2 роки тому +34

      Whilst that is a good assumption to make, these weapons are in a museum's stores and would be known to be empty.

    • @asherrice5289
      @asherrice5289 2 роки тому +11

      Yeah right? Probably don’t want to pull and Alec Baldwin.

    • @ghjgbnhjjghjthknvf6379
      @ghjgbnhjjghjthknvf6379 2 роки тому +5

      I thought exactly the same thing. They have never served a day in the armed forces and have never handled any loaded firearms because of the UK 's ridiculous anti gun policy.

    • @neiloflongbeck5705
      @neiloflongbeck5705 2 роки тому +26

      @@ghjgbnhjjghjthknvf6379 you do know that I can own an Uzi in the UK or a WW2 era rifle such as the .303 Lee Enfield? Both would be legally held under the mainland UK strict gun control laws (the laws in Northern Ireland are a bit more relaxed, but gun owners there can't bring their weapons to the mainland). The UK's gun laws have prevented mass shootings and apart from Dunblane in 1996 we haven't had a school shooting. How many have there been in the US in that period? These weapons are in a museum and would be empty and would have been so for years, plus before being set out for filming they would have been checked.

    • @asherrice5289
      @asherrice5289 2 роки тому +6

      @@neiloflongbeck5705”because they went out for filming they would have been check.” *cough* Alex Baldwin *cough* Also crime really isn’t too much lower and considering that the United States population is about 40x larger than the Uk your country’s lack of firearms really isn’t too much to brag about.

  • @MedicJ.D
    @MedicJ.D 2 роки тому +1

    The first camo DPM shirt is a "combat-95" shirt, not prior era.

  • @gregsmith3056
    @gregsmith3056 2 роки тому +13

    The ignorance of museum curators is unbelievable. This was so amateurish.