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British soldier's uniform 1914-15

60 second histories

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A description of a British infantryman's uniform and personal effects from 1914-15

Hello, I am wearing the uniform of a British soldier serving in Belgium nineteen fourteen to nineteen fifteen. As you can see I have a cap with the Regimental Badge of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. My tunic and trousers are made of woollen cloth in a colour the Army calls drab, but generally people call it Khaki, which comes from the Indian Urdu language meaning dust colour. Wrapped around my legs are puttees, these help give extra support to my legs. On my feet I’m wearing a pair of strong leather boots with iron studs on the bottom to give me grip and stop them wearing out. In my left breast pocket I keep my pay book, which has my service record in it, and finally in this small pocket here, I carry a field dressing just in case of injury. The badges on my uniform show that I’m a marksman, a senior soldier and a machine gun instructor and these are good conduct stripes so as you can see, I’ve been a very good boy.
Eras: 
20th Century
WW1
Topics: 
Uniforms & Equipment
Character: 
WW1 British infantry soldier
Key words: 
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