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Officer Breeches

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:28 pm
by flags_of_war
Im painting up some Late 17thC Scots from Front Rank. Im wanting to have them as Cameronians. Im using Stuart Reids the Last Scots Armies for a guide. It gives the Cameronians having Grey Breeches but i was wanting to know if the Officers would have the same?

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:25 pm
by Churchill
Ray.

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:54 am
by barr7430
This is another of my pet subjects.. how critical is the choice of under clothes colours in the period. I'll give the anwer first to save reading any of my musings!:

Don't think the colour matters: white, off white, grey, grey brown red faded red brown? any mixture of the these within the same unit.


Reason: Colonels paid for and clothed/equipped their men. Many did it on the cheap and rebilled the authorities for the full price. Corruption was rife (epic some would say). There is a thread somewhere else on this board with the story of Mr Harborne (Paymaster? for William III in Ireland) he seems to have appropriated the equivalent of £40,000,000 (for the avoidance of doubt that is 40 million pounds equivalent in modern money) from the army's war chest!
Dyes were not fast, clothing quality for soldiers(perhaps on the lowest level of civilized society) was probably appauling and so will have worn out quickly.. proabably not replaced by the regiment.

So, anything you like really!

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:55 am
by barr7430
This is another of my pet subjects.. how critical is the choice of under clothes colours in the period. I'll give the anwer first to save reading any of my musings!:

Don't think the colour matters: white, off white, grey, grey brown, red faded to pinkish, red brown? any mixture of the these within the same unit.


Reason: Colonels paid for and clothed/equipped their men. Many did it on the cheap and rebilled the authorities for the full price. Corruption was rife (epic some would say). There is a thread somewhere else on this board with the story of Mr Harborne (Paymaster? for William III in Ireland) he seems to have appropriated the equivalent of £40,000,000 (for the avoidance of doubt that is 40 million pounds equivalent in modern money) from the army's war chest!
Dyes were not fast, clothing quality for soldiers(perhaps on the lowest level of civilized society) was probably appauling and so will have worn out quickly.. proabably not replaced by the regiment.

So, anything you like really!

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:00 pm
by obriendavid
This subject has obviously preyed on his mind so much he's posted it twice :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Dave

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:19 pm
by barr7430
Right!

but now it is off my mind so I won't speak about it again :wink:

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:29 pm
by obriendavid
That's what happens when you reach 50 you start repeating yourself :wink: and once you get older to about 50 you start re...oops! :oops:
Dave

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:28 am
by flags_of_war
Cheers for the info guys. I'll prob just go for the white to make them stand out against the lower ranks :D

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:32 pm
by CoffinDodger
flags_of_war wrote: ...It gives the Cameronians having Grey Breeches
Actually real men wore kilts... :P

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:09 pm
by flick40
Actually real men wore kilts
and before that naked with blue designs all over

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:39 am
by barr7430
The blue designs are just a Hollywood construct... the real blue on Scots bodies comes from the cold and varicose veins.....

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:34 am
by dashing blade
Barry,
In my experience, most Celts tend to be a light blue in winter and a lobster red during the three days of summer! :lol:

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:00 pm
by barr7430
DB, decorum prevents me enquiring where you have seen the naked bodies of Celts and I also refuse to ask which gender :shock:

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:07 pm
by dashing blade
Barry, Decorum may prevent you from asking,however,Reputation demands i answer!
Most of my celtic skin colour research is taken from my own mostly light blue body.However ,various "Squaddie tans" (i belive this is the common term for tanned or red forearms) would suggest that The Royal Irish and the H.L.I. have the most lobstered Squaddie tans .
N.B.NOTHING MORE THAN FOREARMS WERE CHECKED!

Re: Officer Breeches

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 9:37 am
by obriendavid
dashing blade wrote:Barry,
In my experience, most Celts tend to be a light blue in winter and a lobster red during the three days of summer! :lol:
What! we get three days of summer?
I must have lost a couple of days somewhere :shock:
Cheers
Dave