Kilt Apron

[Khaki]

Was the apron worn prior to the GW and if so was it any different ?

khaki

[Andrew Upton]

Was the apron worn prior to the GW and if so was it any different ?

khaki

A useful previous thread:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26747&page=2

Some posts of particular interest:

Post 20 - "Tim, What the Highlander is wearing is a Kilt Apron and not a cover. The Apron was a full wrap around piece of khaki cloth governed by pattern 5847a/1904.

There was actually no such item of inventory in the British Army called a "Kilt Cover" through WWI. All clothing scales specifically call out Kilts and Aprons as does the Priced Vocabulary Of Clothing and the RACD Registry of Patterns. The aprons that cover the front only-which one sees in photos were non standard and not procured through the War Office during this time period. These probably came through TFA channels or other such channel.

This may have changed post war.--My records only go up to 1929.

Joe Sweeney"

Post 29: "Tim, No I don't have a Boer War inventory. The closest I have is the 1894 Clothing Regulations.

I have the RACD pattern registries from 1900 through 1929. I also have the Priced Vocabularies from 1907 through 1915 w AO updates. I also have all the GRO's issued in France during the war.

My knowledge really decreases with things before 1900/01 and after 1929.

The full Wrap apron only dates from 1903. Pattern 5847 was introduced in 1903 and modified in 1904 by removal of the hooks.

The front aprons could also have been old stocks but were no longer procured by the war Office after 1903.

In 1906 there was quite some discussion with-in the DEOS (its 1906 equivelent) about issuing a drab kilt as part of Service Dress instead of Kilt and Apron.

In 1914 this became reality for some units as kilts were made in drab as a stopgap measure.

Joe Sweeney"

In a nutshell, officially the kilt apron/cover of the full wrap-around version didn't exist until 1903/04. Prior to that the type that only covered the front of the kilt was in use in the Boer War and possibly earlier. For some reason this half type was still being made at least as late as WW2 (unissued WW2 Australian made examples are surprisingly common still).

[Khaki]

Thanks Andrew,

Makes interesting reading

khaki