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.
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 .
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.
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)
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)!
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!
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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
@@ghostie7028Probably because they were introduced during the time that Hungary was part of The Austrian Empire. (Or because they were designed by an Austrian. )
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Aw sweetie, bless your heart wide open. You know the British Army used uniforms during the American War of Independence too, don't ya?
@@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
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).
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
@@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
My personal favorite would be after the Napoleonic Wars but before Crimea. 1820s to 1840s. Belltop Shakos while not practical are aesthetic perfection.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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!
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 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….🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@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..
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
What strikes me is the slim fit of the earlier uniforms, which suggests that the average soldier was probably slimmer back then. Diet & nutrition of the time, combined with the rigours of army life, probably played it’s part; people in general were slimmer in days gone by, as life in general was more physical and people tended not to eat between meals.
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.
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
@@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
Unfortunately not. Because you can count the facings and the whole person is defeated etc etc. Brandon F make a good video on the topic if you care to learn more
@@mickmorrissey16 I've attached the link to the video of 'Why did the British wear red?' if you weren't able to find it but wanted to learn more. ua-cam.com/video/2-sFPXJY_uA/v-deo.html
I find it hilarious that modern ceremonial uniforms would probably be more functional than those worn to battle in history. Of course everything serves a purpose, back in the day when battles were mostly fought in open fields, it was important to portray the strength of your army as oppose to hiding in the bushes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
hey im sorry but @13:00 she is calling a magazine fed bolt action a breach loading firearm, how does she know so little and yet be employed in a literal military museum
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’.
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.
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..
The curator is wrong. That DPM shirt is CS95 ..introduced in 1995 funnily enough ( Trials from 92ish) The difference amongst many other things,is that it has the slotted buttons instead if the 70s/80s style four hole button. I realise no one probably cares ,but as a veteran I feel i must correct the mistake made. I wore both types of uniform and usually went and bought better kit elsewhere😁
Anyone know why she starts talking about breachloaders and then completely skips over the Martini Henry and the Snider and just goes straight to the Lee Metford?
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.
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.
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.
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!
Umm....very few, if any, British troops in the first Boer War wore khaki! It was, in part, their experience in that war - of being shot by Boers from hundreds of metres away, Boers that they couldn't even see - that convinced the British army to adopt khaki as a standard colour for their uniforms.
It also led to significant change in tactics, as well. My People taught them quite a few valuable lessons. It's just a shame that they never learnt ethics, though.
When trying on the dress uniform jacket Alice exclaims "It feels quite small for me" and is clearly surprised at the relatively small size of it. It's only small by today's standard as a century ago people on average were shorter/smaller. From a quick Googling it appears that the average height of a British soldier was 165cm/5'5" and average weight was about 60 to 64kg/9-10stone/132-141lb. For comparison the average British man in the current day has a height of 178cm and weight of 86.2kg which is 8% taller and 35% heavier than those of a century before. The current day average British woman has a height of 161cm and a weight of 69kg thus they are only slightly shorter though a bit heavier than the average British man of a century ago so no wonder it was a little bit tight for her lol.
12:54 I understand she is a uniform expert, and not a firearms one, but the Enfield (and most comparable rifles of the age) are repeating rifles, not breechloading.
One correction.. The "Khaki" was introduced by Harry Burnett Lumsden's Corps of Guides. Lumsden's Horse of Col Dugald McTavish Lumsden was raised much later in 1899.
British Army smart, regimented uniforms that obviously through time had to change , but for me the WW2 period and the introduction of the Battle dress (bd) uniform with Blanco belt ,gaiter's serious we looked like a bag of potatoes tied in the middle during that period , compared to example the USA who had a decent set of combats (fatigues)
Very true that the British uniform did not look as smart as the US or German uniforms. It was made from what was available in quantity, wool. The advantage of wool as it had an element of fire proofing, when they got muddy, the mud would shake off when dry, were warm and were shower proof, but not rain proof. They were also easy to dry once wet. Being loose was also an advantage as it was easier to crawl around in them on the battlefield, they would have give and allowed movement.
In the end, even the Germans adopted "battle dress" in the Second World War. Ankle boots and gaiters were adopted by the bulk of the Wehrmacht & SS as well.
America sat back and stocked up. The UK chucked it all at the war from day 1. Done pretty well. But the nazis were just top tier. Again they took time and stocked up
@@iMertin90 they also sat back stocked up cowering away for 4 years while the real men and proper women of the world was fighting non stop daily for 4 years
During the thirties, a new battledress was submitted and trialled. It was based on the WW1 type with a full tunic, but better cut and garters instead of puttees. But the austerity of war came along and it was scrapped. Check Brian L. Davis's book on British army uniforms for a fuller account.
At 11:38 my area is the Highland regiments, in those regiments doublets replaced coatess in 1855. The original 1855 doublets were double-breasted and had square buttons (and are widely known from the "Crimean heroes" photographs) but only lasted one year. In 1856 the Highland regiments switched to single-breasted doublets with round buttons. Why so soon? Then in 1868 the Highland regimental doublets underwent another change, this time more subtle.
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 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.
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.
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 .
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.
The Wrens were and Were a WW auxiliary service for the British navy I think you can find out more.
I dont see why one more BRIT who didn't keep secrets 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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.
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)
There was also the P1866 breechloader that preceded the Martini.
@@Josh93B93 Snider Mk.II I believe.
Yeah, there’s a lot they either glossed over or didn’t mention at all
yes, it looked like a 20th century SMLE.
@@TheSinkingTitanic2 that's right it is, glad I left it at P1866 because I was thinking of the Peabody
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!
Quite the career. Well done Sir
Decent stretch! Thanks
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
@@SaorAlba1970 Doubt Scotland will be in the EU for some time to come but otherwise thank you for your needlessly antagonistic response.
@@callumwilliams1449 EU leaders said we would be fast tracked and Spain will not block our membership
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.
the fringes were also there to buffer sword blows to the shoulders
@@chrisgurney2467 As we're the high collars.
I just learned that fringe was designed to draw water away from the outfit and I went 🤯
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.
They skipped one important thing-the olive green combat uniform that was introduced after battle dress and before DPM.
And No2 khaki uniform.
Was just reading through posts with the intention of bringing up the 1960's Green Uniform!
They also skipped a big part at why the Uniform was red and how it was decided
@@Woodcutter1964 I was just glad she pointed out the blood thing
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.
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.
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.
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)!
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!
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.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
They are called Austrian knots in military fashion, they are from hungarian hussars yes. But they are still called austrian knots
@@ghostie7028Probably because they were introduced during the time that Hungary was part of The Austrian Empire. (Or because they were designed by an Austrian. )
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.
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.
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.
who cares about the us marines anyway .. yet alone your ex
Sophie Anderton is incredibly articulate and well spoken, the BBC should keep her in mind for corespondents.
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!
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.
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.
@@McGintyNHD nobody cares about the Americans
@@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?
@@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
Both you ladies really made this display come alive! Thank you!
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.
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).
24:20 that's a combat 95 shirt. Came into service around 95-98.
Yep, the taped buttons alone were a giveaway.
@@tomwebb3081 and the rank slide on the front
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...
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.
What does the UA-cam revival mean?
@@carltrotter7622 lol
What You Tube revival?
motion seconded
In the first Boer war the British wore red uniforms with white X-shaped webbing to indicate to the enemy where to shoot.
Yes, so by the Madhist War colonial troops were clad in khaki.
Got British Army trousers - the best cargo pants I've ever had! Like half-century old design and still good to use.
I inherited my grandad's 1940 army boots. Still in good nick, and perfect for heavy work in my garden.
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.
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.
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.
Also the green coats worn by the King's rifles, my patent regiment.
The establishment prefers to ignore the protectorate and its great deeds.
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.
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.
Yes cheap as the queen's subjects.
The change from DPM to MTP was fantastic. Such an improvement in kit.
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.
Most of us could cope with the omissions - but there is no excuse for the repeated factual inaccuracies.
@@badgertheskinnycow would you mind elaborating?
@@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.
@@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
@@zaphodbeeblebrox9109 we may not demand depth, but we should demand accuracy from specialists in paid positions like this “curator”
amazing to see a 300 plus year old jacket in such good condition fact it even hold up that long is amazing
My personal favorite would be after the Napoleonic Wars but before Crimea. 1820s to 1840s. Belltop Shakos while not practical are aesthetic perfection.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
such as the rank slide insert is on the front instead of epaulettes and a slightly different variation of DPM
Red dye was the cheapest. The Treasury wins again.
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.
So many inaccurate statements.
yes in 1970 there was no DPM in general use .
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.
you don't know much about this, do you?
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.
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.
You're only 245 years old, still pups
@@jimmyboynottknown7713 nobody cares dude
@@Satori079 about Americans yep we know
@@jimmyboynottknown7713 Come on guys, we're allies !!!
@@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.
Makes one proud to be British
Loved the photo of the Gordon Highlander
Thanks, I enjoyed this.I am a Victorian re-enactor, so was interested in your Boer War uniforms.
It would have been good to have mentioned that the Civil War was English, not British AND produced the New Model Army, with the first uniforms.
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.
Pretty sure that bolt action is a Lee-Metford which came before the Lee-Enfield
tis a Lee Metford
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!
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….
Wasn’t it worn in the Falklands which is way before 95
@@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….🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@TheFordmustangv8 yes the Germans really were ahead of their time it’s only because of the unstable leadership that they lost.🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@Kris155mm got to love the KF shirts, loved the Norge..
@@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..
Who doesn't love a historian in uniforms.
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.
The lack of functionality in the older uniforms is astounding.
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.
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.
Here after the new King's proclamation. I'd love a video explaining the different uniforms and ceremonial dress seen there.
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.
History Hit is terrific! Thanks for high caliber, entertaining history. 😊
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.
This was very informative and interesting. Thank you for downloading this?
Excellent, full of information and enthusiasm, well done. 👏🏻
Thank you for posting.
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.
Whilst that is a good assumption to make, these weapons are in a museum's stores and would be known to be empty.
Yeah right? Probably don’t want to pull and Alec Baldwin.
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.
@@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.
@@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.
What strikes me is the slim fit of the earlier uniforms, which suggests that the average soldier was probably slimmer back then. Diet & nutrition of the time, combined with the rigours of army life, probably played it’s part; people in general were slimmer in days gone by, as life in general was more physical and people tended not to eat between meals.
Fascinating, thank you.
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.
No - you are correct buddy.
Sophie Anderton is a delight!
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
You wear a pair of jeans with a zip. Less of it Rambo
You're only 245 years old, still pups
@@iMertin90 Really?
@@jimmyboynottknown7713 No idea what this means.
@@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
I learned something today. Thank you
24:10 a soldier 95 pattern shirt from 1980? Think you got mixed up with that
I was under the impression red coats were also used because from a distance red made it more difficult to count the number of troops in a rank.
Unfortunately not. Because you can count the facings and the whole person is defeated etc etc. Brandon F make a good video on the topic if you care to learn more
@@dolphintrainer4238 , thanks DT , a segment dedicated to the topic would be great.
Thank you for the reply.
Cheers
@@mickmorrissey16 I've attached the link to the video of 'Why did the British wear red?' if you weren't able to find it but wanted to learn more. ua-cam.com/video/2-sFPXJY_uA/v-deo.html
@@dolphintrainer4238 , thank you , much appreciated. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
Take care,
Mick
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!
"The clothes don't fit you, you fit the clothes", said many a military clothing storeman. :-)
I find it hilarious that modern ceremonial uniforms would probably be more functional than those worn to battle in history. Of course everything serves a purpose, back in the day when battles were mostly fought in open fields, it was important to portray the strength of your army as oppose to hiding in the bushes.
Hilarious?
The ignorance of museum curators is unbelievable. This was so amateurish.
Yeah totally agreed.
Nice , well presented and informative .
I’d have majored in history if Alice had been there when I was in college.
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.
The first camo DPM shirt is a "combat-95" shirt, not prior era.
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.
I love old uniforms, though not sure about wearing them lol. Great selection for this video!
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.
Very interesting, and delivered very nicely by two very well spoken young ladies,
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.
i noticed that as well
I think the clue is in the title. 'Uniforms'. Weapons could be (perhaps should be) a whole series on their own :-)
Not to mention the fact that she constantly has her finger on the trigger..
i agree, the martini henry was a major change in firearms technology.
@@jerryvr Chill, it’s not going to go off!
Thank you for this overview--while not comprehensive, it certainly was interesting and kept my attention (and left me wanting more!)
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.
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.
hey im sorry but @13:00 she is calling a magazine fed bolt action a breach loading firearm, how does she know so little and yet be employed in a literal military museum
*breech
i noticed that too. This video seems to be full of mistakes...
Also at 14:32 she says that the british arrived at boer, boer isn't a place
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’.
The woodland DPM is actually part of soldier 95 kit
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.
Thought so the buttons are C95
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..
She lost me when she said the soldier 95 DPM shirt dated to 1980.
The curator is wrong.
That DPM shirt is CS95 ..introduced in 1995 funnily enough ( Trials from 92ish)
The difference amongst many other things,is that it has the slotted buttons instead if the 70s/80s style four hole button.
I realise no one probably cares ,but as a veteran I feel i must correct the mistake made. I wore both types of uniform and usually went and bought better kit elsewhere😁
Pls.,feature footwear throughout history,as an army actually marches on its footwear.
Great video. Well done. From Ireland
Anyone know why she starts talking about breachloaders and then completely skips over the Martini Henry and the Snider and just goes straight to the Lee Metford?
I don't think firearms is her area of expertise. Not even sure why they got her to talk about it when she clearly doesn't know very much.
Not to mention , passing a “loaded” weapon around ☹️
Excellent Video !
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.
Id say a well fitting battle dress ensemble flatters the wearer quite well
@@MrDukeSilverr The key word there is well-fitting. They were almost guaranteed never to, IME.
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.
So many more questions I'd have liked to have been asked. Epaulettes, why, when. Hand sewing vs machine production, when. Great production though
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.
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
You left out Rifle green and the pattern of DPM you showed was not from the 80’s but early 90’s
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!
Umm....very few, if any, British troops in the first Boer War wore khaki! It was, in part, their experience in that war - of being shot by Boers from hundreds of metres away, Boers that they couldn't even see - that convinced the British army to adopt khaki as a standard colour for their uniforms.
Also at 14:32 she says the british arrived at boer, boer isn't a place
This woman needs to be taught a bit more about the boer war
It also led to significant change in tactics, as well. My People taught them quite a few valuable lessons. It's just a shame that they never learnt ethics, though.
Good explanations and good questions.
When trying on the dress uniform jacket Alice exclaims "It feels quite small for me" and is clearly surprised at the relatively small size of it. It's only small by today's standard as a century ago people on average were shorter/smaller.
From a quick Googling it appears that the average height of a British soldier was 165cm/5'5" and average weight was about 60 to 64kg/9-10stone/132-141lb. For comparison the average British man in the current day has a height of 178cm and weight of 86.2kg which is 8% taller and 35% heavier than those of a century before. The current day average British woman has a height of 161cm and a weight of 69kg thus they are only slightly shorter though a bit heavier than the average British man of a century ago so no wonder it was a little bit tight for her lol.
Good that there's a long lee Enfield but keep ya finger off the trigger unless you intend to fire it.
12:35 Wow ladies trigger discipline!
And muzzle as well!!!
"Get that weapon out of my face!!!
Man, there's something about those khaki's, tropical helmet and handle bar beards - gotta love the outfit
12:54 I understand she is a uniform expert, and not a firearms one, but the Enfield (and most comparable rifles of the age) are repeating rifles, not breechloading.
One correction.. The "Khaki" was introduced by Harry Burnett Lumsden's Corps of Guides.
Lumsden's Horse of Col Dugald McTavish Lumsden was raised much later in 1899.
British Army smart, regimented uniforms that obviously through time had to change , but for me the WW2 period and the introduction of the Battle dress (bd) uniform with Blanco belt ,gaiter's serious we looked like a bag of potatoes tied in the middle during that period , compared to example the USA who had a decent set of combats (fatigues)
Very true that the British uniform did not look as smart as the US or German uniforms. It was made from what was available in quantity, wool. The advantage of wool as it had an element of fire proofing, when they got muddy, the mud would shake off when dry, were warm and were shower proof, but not rain proof. They were also easy to dry once wet. Being loose was also an advantage as it was easier to crawl around in them on the battlefield, they would have give and allowed movement.
In the end, even the Germans adopted "battle dress" in the Second World War. Ankle boots and gaiters were adopted by the bulk of the Wehrmacht & SS as well.
America sat back and stocked up. The UK chucked it all at the war from day 1. Done pretty well. But the nazis were just top tier. Again they took time and stocked up
@@iMertin90 they also sat back stocked up cowering away for 4 years while the real men and proper women of the world was fighting non stop daily for 4 years
During the thirties, a new battledress was submitted and trialled. It was based on the WW1 type with a full tunic, but better cut and garters instead of puttees. But the austerity of war came along and it was scrapped. Check Brian L. Davis's book on British army uniforms for a fuller account.
At 11:38 my area is the Highland regiments, in those regiments doublets replaced coatess in 1855. The original 1855 doublets were double-breasted and had square buttons (and are widely known from the "Crimean heroes" photographs) but only lasted one year. In 1856 the Highland regiments switched to single-breasted doublets with round buttons. Why so soon? Then in 1868 the Highland regimental doublets underwent another change, this time more subtle.
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.
Just started watching and I’m looking forward to seeing the batwing pockets and how much they were the ‘error’ part from ‘trail and’
@@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.