British Battledress 1937-61 (Men at Arms Series, 112) [Paperback]

Brian Jewell (Author), Mike Chappell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: March 26, 1992

In the 1930s the War Office grew increasingly aware of the need for a new and more rational combat dress, and by 1937 the design for what would become known as 'battledress' was complete. Though the change in uniform was initially disappointing to the British soldiers, the new battledress served its purpose well, clothing the servicemen for more than 25 years with reasonable warmth and convenience. Complete with a wealth of photographs, diagrams and colour plates, this book offers a history of British battledress up to 1961, detailing its evolution in design, materials, sizes and applied insignia.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Brian Jewell is a respected authority on British uniforms, particularly those of World War II. This is his first book for Osprey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850453879
• ISBN-13: 978-0850453874
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated but still good, March 9, 2004

By 

"jpn607" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Battledress 1937-61 (Men at Arms Series, 112) (Paperback)

The only volume this far covering British Battle Dress in its many forms from 1937 to the 1970s. Carter Rila doesn't mention that it also inspired the German Felduniform 1944. Not sure why he goes on at length about the history of BD; many of his details are wrong. Pick up the book and you'll like it - a fast guide to BD and its various variants, and so far, the only game in town for that. For wartime BD see also Brian L. Davis' BRITISH ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF WORLD WAR TWO, THE BRITISH SOLDIER and THE CANADIAN SOLDIER by Jean Bouchery, TOMMY by Gordon, the other TOMMY with color photos, and DRESSED TO KILL.

4.0 out of 5 stars Tommy Atkins' Favorite Clothes, December 29, 2001

By 

El Cutachero (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Battledress 1937-61 (Men at Arms Series, 112) (Paperback)

If you don't know who he is, stop here!
This is a quick overview of the development, purpose, and service life of the famous British Battle Dress. Its design was copied by members of the commonwealth forces and was an influence on the Wool Field Jacket (nicknamed Ike Jacket) of 1943 and the M1950 Wool OD Jacket worn by the US Army and the blue jacket worn for a time by the US Air Force personnel in the fifties.(There is a fascinating subject the USAF from 1950 to 1980. How about it, Osprey?)

The Battle Dress was designed to fit like a sack of potatoes, in other words, loose and capacious, and non constricting. No longer would soldiers go to war wearing severely tailored coats with immaculate brass buttons. That would be reserved for walking out order or what is now known as service dress. It was made of rough wooly material and the waist length jacket buttoned to the high waisted trousers which had a first aid packet pocket and a map pocket on the front of the thighs. The enlisted men's version jacket was worn with a collarless shirt. The jacket was only partially lined, omitting padding and trimmings so it did not require dry cleaning and could be washed in a field laundry.
The officer's version was lined at the collar so it could be worn open with a collared shirt and tie. (still that useless thing!) The BD was worn in temperate climates such as NW Europe and in Italy in the winter. Other orders such as Khaki Drill and Jungle Green (see that book title) were worn in hot climate areas.
During the war the wearing of any sort of ceremonial uniform was suspended but the dress side caps of the Corps and Regiments were worn as a sort of walking out dress when on home station and also with the Khaki Drill.
Because of the universal desire by soldiers to smarten up in peacetime, by the end of the fifties, the baggy, dumpy looking BD was being replaced for everyday wear by the tailored service dress (see British Army 1965-1980 in this series.) and the combat clothing was now composed of various wind and rain resistant cotton garments.