Soldier in cropped pants

[normamac]

Can you tell  me  anything about this photo. I have never seen  those cropped pants on a soldier before.  Thank you.
                               Norma

[IMBER]

I think this is a British military policeman and as such was wearing white webbing and white gaiters.

Imber

[normamac]

Thank you Imber

One of my Uncles was a military policeman, This must be him in his uniform. The photo came from my parents photograph collection.  Norma
                                                                                                               

[barryd]

Actually puttee, a name, adapted from the Hindi patti or bandage. Note that the building "Block 2" has bars over the windows. 

[normamac]

Thank you.  I had thought it was a prison block.
Norma

[IMBER]

I thought puttees at first but then had second thoughts. Difficult to see. Anyway, this superb Canadian site is of interest and gives useful background:


http://mpmuseum.org/provostboot.html

Imber

[alan o]

He is wearing canvas ankle gaiters - they came into use to replace knee length puttees circa 1938 with the introduction of battledress and were replaced by short puttees in the late 50s/1960s.

[normamac]

Thank you,
That explains  it very well.
                                       Norma.

[John915]

Good evening,

He is wearing 1937/8 pattern webbing gaiters. Treated with white blanco (there were 5 different colours of blanco) as per Royal Military Police dress. Web gaiters were standard dress in WW2 which is the era of this photo.

The bottom of the trousers were caught under the gaiters then the leg allowed to "droop" very neatly over the top edge of the gaiter. This gave you 2 or 3 ins of free play in the trouser leg for sitting etc without tugging the trousers out of the gaiter.

John915