I have found an example, during WW1, of a Colonel in the Royal
Artillery (serving in Egypt) who suffered from varicose veins.

He needed War Office permission to wear trousers instead of riding breeches.  

This was granted during the summer months, following a recommendation
from the Medical Board.

A short history of Riding Breeches as a component of a British Army
Officer's uniform, PLEASE.

Many thanks! 

(I bet no-one can answer this!)

This should have been posted as an answer. :)

__________________________________________________________
  
Thank you for the challenge :)

According to Doreeen Yarwood?s trusted book ?Encyclopedia of World
Costume,? justaucorps (a.k.a. jodhpurs, or riding breeches) were first
worn in the 1660s, perhaps because common breeches of the time were so
full they made riding uncomfortable and impractical. (Before this
time, men wore their everyday clothes when riding.) (Yarwood's book is
available through most bookstores, or on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0517619431/qid=1076207953//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-9383552-3872961?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
)

A costume plate illustrating knights  of the 16th and 17th century
shows them wearing a kind of riding trouser: short (to the knee, with
apparent knee caps or pads), fitted, and khaki color. (See ?Costumes
16th/17th Century Plate 2,? Prestel,
http://www2.prestel.co.uk/church/oosj/sjpic05.htm ) Plates from the
18th century show a similar pair of breeches, now in typical 18th
century white. (See ?Dress of the Knights of Malta 18th Century,?
Prestel, http://www2.prestel.co.uk/church/oosj/sjpic07.htm ) ?Red
coats? of this period wore the same breeches. (See ?AN ACCOUNT OF THE
REFERENCES AND SOURCES USED IN REPRODUCING THE UNIFORMS, ARMS, AND
ACCOUTREMENTS OF THE RE-CREATED COLONEL'S COMPANY OF H.M. 33RD
REGIMENT OF FOOT,? Uniform Specs,
http://home.earthlink.net/~colscoy/uniformspecs.html )

After the Napoleonic wars, however, trousers were worn. Check out
various period photographs at ?Photographs of Soldiers of the British
Army 1840 to 1920:?

? Quarter Master Sergeant John Masterson:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/pmastrsn.html

? Ensign John Brabzon Kemeys Tynte:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/TYNTE%20Ensign%20John%20B%20Kemeys%205th%20Fus.htm

? Captain Francis Lyon, Royal Horse Artillery:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/plyon.html

? Lieutenant, Royal Horse Artillery: http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/prhalt.html

? Sergeant and Mounted Other Rank of the 13th Hussars:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/p13thhr.html

The switch to trousers make sense, given that breeches were no longer
fashionable. ?Real men? now only wore trousers, with breeches seen
exclusively on boys. (Remember: during and after the French
Revolution, breeches were considered a sign of aristocracy?something
one didn?t really want to admit to, unless one wanted to loose one?s
head! Revolutionists took to wearing trousers in defiance of the
aristocracy and all they felt it stood for; trousers were what the
sensible ?everyman? wore.)

However, as the British army headed more and more toward India, a
change gradually took place. Breeches reappeared. Perhaps part of the
reason for this was the Indian culture itself, as this photograph of a
British Captain in quasi-Indian dress may suggest:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/barneserbbear.html (?Photographs of
Soldiers of the British Army 1840 to 1920,? Edward Robert Bigsby
Barnes ) Notice that this c.1900 photograph reveals breeches, although
of a dark color: http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/p17lr.html (?Trooper
in The 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers ,? Photographs of
Soldiers of the British Army 1840 to 1920)

Certainly, the nature of India made a turn to khaki costumes (more
concealing in the desert) and shorter pants (cooler in the hot
weather) understandable. For a time, however, breeches were worn only
in India.

But soon kahki breeches returned from ancient times, becoming part of
*the* uniform we all tend to imagine when we think of WWI.  (See
?Lieutenant, British Infantry, 1914,?
http://killeenroos.com/5/uniform/6.jpg )

As for the rest of the 20th century (and beyond), check out the
illustration found here:
http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbooks/military/british_uniforms.htm
(?Uniforms,? Digger History) You?ll see a gradual progression away
from breeches happening very shortly after WWI.

For more information on breeches, and British uniforms in general, you
might find the following books of interest. They should be available
through any bookstore:

? ?British Army Uniforms in Color? by Peter Harrington & John McNeill:
http://www.schifferbooks.com/military/uniformsbritish/0764313029.html

? ?World War One: British Army? by Stephen B. Bull & Tim Newark:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1857532708/ref=nosim/broughsbooks/102-9383552-3872961?dev-t=D2Y5TUCCVJ7DGE

? ?Khaki Drill and Jungle Green: British Tropical Uniforms 1939-45 in
Colour Photographs? by Richard Ingram, Martin Brayley:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861263600/ref=nosim/broughsbooks/102-9383552-3872961?dev-t=D2Y5TUCCVJ7DGE


I hope this satisfies your curiosity!  :)

Regards,
Kriswrite




RESEARCH STRATEGY:
Search on Costumes.org, ?military? section

"British uniforms" WWII
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+uniforms%22+WWII

"British Uniforms" "History of"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+Uniforms%22+%22History+of%22

"British uniforms"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+uniforms%22+&btnG=Google+Search

---

Request for Answer Clarification by probonopublico-ga on 11 Feb 2004 00:00 PST

Hi, Again, Kriswrite

Just had a look at My Account and have discovered that your original
answer was 'pulled' ....

Bizarre!

---

Clarification of Answer by kriswrite-ga on 11 Feb 2004 08:18 PST

Probonopublico~

It was odd. Apparently there was a misunderstanding when I stated that
I had meant to post the information as an Answer, not a comment :)

Kriswrite

Great.

Thanks!

To my colleagues: "Jodhpurs", named after Jodhpur in India, should be
a good term for searching infomation on officer's riding breeches in
the British army. Those jodhpurs breeches have been developed in India
in the 19th century, and the officers of Her Majesty the Empress of
India (Queen Victoria, that is) found them quite becoming. I guess
they became standard trousers for officers with the introduction of
the khaki uniforms. Worn occasionally since 1848, khaki uniform became
regulation for all British regiments serving in India after 1885 and
was approved for all foreign service in 1896. From 1902 onwards, khaki
service dress was worn for all occasions, at home and abroad, except
those requiring full dress. And since I have never seen an image of a
British officer in pre-khaki jodhpurs, a conncection seems possible.

Good luck!

Scriptor

I locked the question and began my search, but I, too, inevitably
ended up in India with the Empire's forces. I quickly realized that I
was going nowhere fast and bailed out. I feel sooooo colonial!

Hello probonopublico~

Thank you for the challenge :)

According to Doreeen Yarwood?s trusted book ?Encyclopedia of World
Costume,? justaucorps (a.k.a. jodhpurs, or riding breeches) were first
worn in the 1660s, perhaps because common breeches of the time were so
full they made riding uncomfortable and impractical. (Before this
time, men wore their everyday clothes when riding.) (Yarwood's book is
available through most bookstores, or on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0517619431/qid=1076207953//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-9383552-3872961?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
)

A costume plate illustrating knights  of the 16th and 17th century
shows them wearing a kind of riding trouser: short (to the knee, with
apparent knee caps or pads), fitted, and khaki color. (See ?Costumes
16th/17th Century Plate 2,? Prestel,
http://www2.prestel.co.uk/church/oosj/sjpic05.htm ) Plates from the
18th century show a similar pair of breeches, now in typical 18th
century white. (See ?Dress of the Knights of Malta 18th Century,?
Prestel, http://www2.prestel.co.uk/church/oosj/sjpic07.htm ) ?Red
coats? of this period wore the same breeches. (See ?AN ACCOUNT OF THE
REFERENCES AND SOURCES USED IN REPRODUCING THE UNIFORMS, ARMS, AND
ACCOUTREMENTS OF THE RE-CREATED COLONEL'S COMPANY OF H.M. 33RD
REGIMENT OF FOOT,? Uniform Specs,
http://home.earthlink.net/~colscoy/uniformspecs.html )

After the Napoleonic wars, however, trousers were worn. Check out
various period photographs at ?Photographs of Soldiers of the British
Army 1840 to 1920:?

? Quarter Master Sergeant John Masterson:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/pmastrsn.html

? Ensign John Brabzon Kemeys Tynte:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/TYNTE%20Ensign%20John%20B%20Kemeys%205th%20Fus.htm

? Captain Francis Lyon, Royal Horse Artillery:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/plyon.html

? Lieutenant, Royal Horse Artillery: http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/prhalt.html

? Sergeant and Mounted Other Rank of the 13th Hussars:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/p13thhr.html

The switch to trousers make sense, given that breeches were no longer
fashionable. ?Real men? now only wore trousers, with breeches seen
exclusively on boys. (Remember: during and after the French
Revolution, breeches were considered a sign of aristocracy?something
one didn?t really want to admit to, unless one wanted to loose one?s
head! Revolutionists took to wearing trousers in defiance of the
aristocracy and all they felt it stood for; trousers were what the
sensible ?everyman? wore.)

However, as the British army headed more and more toward India, a
change gradually took place. Breeches reappeared. Perhaps part of the
reason for this was the Indian culture itself, as this photograph of a
British Captain in quasi-Indian dress may suggest:
http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/barneserbbear.html (?Photographs of
Soldiers of the British Army 1840 to 1920,? Edward Robert Bigsby
Barnes ) Notice that this c.1900 photograph reveals breeches, although
of a dark color: http://www.members.dca.net/fbl/p17lr.html (?Trooper
in The 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers ,? Photographs of
Soldiers of the British Army 1840 to 1920)

Certainly, the nature of India made a turn to khaki costumes (more
concealing in the desert) and shorter pants (cooler in the hot
weather) understandable. For a time, however, breeches were worn only
in India.

But soon kahki breeches returned from ancient times, becoming part of
*the* uniform we all tend to imagine when we think of WWI.  (See
?Lieutenant, British Infantry, 1914,?
http://killeenroos.com/5/uniform/6.jpg )

As for the rest of the 20th century (and beyond), check out the
illustration found here:
http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbooks/military/british_uniforms.htm
(?Uniforms,? Digger History) You?ll see a gradual progression away
from breeches happening very shortly after WWI.

For more information on breeches, and British uniforms in general, you
might find the following books of interest. They should be available
through any bookstore:

? ?British Army Uniforms in Color? by Peter Harrington & John McNeill:
http://www.schifferbooks.com/military/uniformsbritish/0764313029.html

? ?World War One: British Army? by Stephen B. Bull & Tim Newark:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1857532708/ref=nosim/broughsbooks/102-9383552-3872961?dev-t=D2Y5TUCCVJ7DGE

? ?Khaki Drill and Jungle Green: British Tropical Uniforms 1939-45 in
Colour Photographs? by Richard Ingram, Martin Brayley:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861263600/ref=nosim/broughsbooks/102-9383552-3872961?dev-t=D2Y5TUCCVJ7DGE


I hope this satisfies your curiosity!  :)

Regards,
Kriswrite




RESEARCH STRATEGY:
Search on Costumes.org, ?military? section

"British uniforms" WWII
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+uniforms%22+WWII

"British Uniforms" "History of"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+Uniforms%22+%22History+of%22

"British uniforms"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22British+uniforms%22+&btnG=Google+Search

I could have sworn that kriswrite's extremely comprehensive and
praise-worthy Answer was posted as the official Answer as of a few
minutes ago... now all of a sudden, it's gone?

aht-ga

Good Morning, Bryan

This site may have some additional interesting information:
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyuniforms/uniform.htm

i.e.
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=site%3Awww.britishempire.co.uk+uniforms+cavalry+breeches&meta=

Regards,
Freddy

G'Morning All

Some GREAT Comments & Links ... Many thanks!

I am now pleased to announce the following promotions and awards:

Scriptor is promoted to Acting Colonel of the Royal Field Artillery,
provided that he wears jodphurs OR riding breeches.

Revbrenda1st is appointed Army Chaplain, provided that he/she grows a
Charlie Chaplin moustache. (No false hair allowed.)

Kriswrite is awarded a Bloodhound to help him/her search for Answers
that have got lost in the post. (Pun intended.)

Aht is transferred to Military Intelligence and promoted to the rank of Colonel.

Fp is promoted to Director-General of MI6, where he will be empowered
to provide even more sexed-up reports than ever.

These appointments take immediate effect.

By Order of the War Office

Trooper C
Formerly Quartermaster's Clerk, 10th Royal Hussars (PWO)

(Talking of the PW, he and his lady friend were in the next box to me
at Covent Garden last Thursday ... He tried to attract my attention
but I looked through him.)

Hmmm ..., Bryan, so you are C.? 

... reading spy stories even in your spare time?

Regards,
fp

P.S. A comment without a link?

Hard to find these webpages, but here they are:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/freedom/Story/0,2763,549974,00.html

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SScumming.htm

Great links, Freddy, as usual.

Of course, Stella is sticking closely to the official line ...
wouldn't expect anything else ... even though you and me know better.

C

(You'll have to imagine it's written in green ink.)

Surely King Henry V popularized the wearing of riding breeches.

After all, he's credited with having said to his troops "Once more
into the breech, dear friends, once more..." :-D

Now, C'mon, Pinky

Did King Hal really say that?

More likely it was penned by Bacon.

Who else?