The leg covering on this soldier’s calves were called “puttees”, a form of gaiters made of leather, canvas, or a long ribbon/bandage of cloth wound about the leg in the regulation fashion. His appear to be of canvas. A variation of this continued into WW2 for field/combat duty or, sometimes, parades in Class A uniform. These gaiters/puttees allowed the military to issue ankle-high shoes to all. The now familiar high combat boots came into general use with the formation of paratrooper units, with the need for higher boots for ankle and leg support in parachute landings. My dad served in the military 1926-1957 and described the cloth ribbon windings to me.
Hal's description sounded very much like my experience after boot camp with the Air Force. I was sent to a 10 month tech school at Keesler AFB, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Just off base was a photographer's shop, and he catered to just this kind of photos. I posed for a photo, all dressed in dress blues, for the very purpose of sending the photo home to my girlfriend and my Mom. Looking at this postcard, it looks very familiar, and an unofficial confirmation that the practice had not changed much from 1917 through 1974. Nice card and talk, Hal.!
The leg covering on this soldier’s calves were called “puttees”, a form of gaiters made of leather, canvas, or a long ribbon/bandage of cloth wound about the leg in the regulation fashion. His appear to be of canvas. A variation of this continued into WW2 for field/combat duty or, sometimes, parades in Class A uniform. These gaiters/puttees allowed the military to issue ankle-high shoes to all. The now familiar high combat boots came into general use with the formation of paratrooper units, with the need for higher boots for ankle and leg support in parachute landings. My dad served in the military 1926-1957 and described the cloth ribbon windings to me.
Thanks for your help in describing these puttees. I do appreciate this..
Hal's description sounded very much like my experience after boot camp with the Air Force. I was sent to a 10 month tech school at Keesler AFB, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Just off base was a photographer's shop, and he catered to just this kind of photos. I posed for a photo, all dressed in dress blues, for the very purpose of sending the photo home to my girlfriend and my Mom. Looking at this postcard, it looks very familiar, and an unofficial confirmation that the practice had not changed much from 1917 through 1974. Nice card and talk, Hal.!
Thanks Mike for your comments.
Nice card. Wonder what happened to this soldier.
You do wonder, and hope he returned home in good health.