Battle Dress - Introduction

Introduction

From the early 1930s, the British War Office began research on a replacement for the Service Dress that had been a combined field and dress uniform since the early 1900s. Initially conducted on a small scale over several years, some of the ideas tested included deerstalker hats and safari jackets. After extensive field trials of other uniforms, Battle Dress (P-37 for Pattern 1937) was adopted just before the Second World War. The uniform was designed with the needs of mechanized infantry in mind, and was inspired by contemporary wool ‘ski suits’ that were less restrictive to the wearer, used less material, were warm even while wet and were more suited to vehicular movement than Service Dress.

Attempting to create a more standardized uniform across much of the British military, it was composed of a fairly streamlined short jacket of wool serge that buttoned to the outside of high-waisted wool serge trousers. The jacket (or blouse) was copied as the American Ike jacket of late WWII. The sleeves of the British jacket had a forward curve built into them so that they were more comfortable to wear prone shouldering a rifle, or seated holding a steering wheel for instance, although they tended to show multiple wrinkles near the inside of the elbow when the soldier's arms were held straight at the sides. On the pants or trousers, there was a large map pocket on the front near the left knee and a special pocket for a field dressing near the right front pocket. The mixed green and brown fibers of the British battle dress fabric matched the colors of heath and forests of England and Scotland fairly well without having to be a single muddy olive green color like American uniforms. One problem often developed, the gap between the jacket and trousers would open up in extreme movement and buttons popped, so braces (suspenders) were often worn, in some cases a sweater was worn. A khaki (tan colour) cotton shirt was typically worn under the wool jacket, wearing an open collar jacket (with tie) was initially restricted to officers, other ranks buttoning the top button of the jacket. Short canvas leggings, gaiters or puttees typically covered the gap between the trousers and the short boots, further adding to the streamlined look and keeping dirt out of the boots without having to use a taller, more expensive leather boot.

Battle Dress was issued widely beginning in 1939 in the British Army (as well as the Canadian Army, who produced their own, almost identical, copy of Battle Dress after the outbreak of war), though shortages meant that some units of the British Expeditionary Force went to France in Service Dress.