Uniforms
During the Great War Canadian uniforms and equipment were generally of British pattern, indeed looking at period photographs it is often difficult to tell Canadians from their British allies. This similarity became even more pronounced as the war progressed and Canadian equipment was discarded in place of better quality British equipment. This page is intended to provide the reader with a brief overview of the uniforms and equipment used by the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.
This soldier of the Royal Canadian Regiment is wearing the Canadian 1903 service uniform. This is the Canadian version of the British M1902 uniform adopted after experience in the Boer war showed the value of a simple and inconspicuous uniform. This uniform differs from the British in that it has 9 buttons instead of 7 a standing collar, detachable shoulder straps and pointed cuffs. This uniform was used by the First Canadian Contingent for about a year and by new recruits in training for the duration of the war. The cloth wrappings around the lower legs are known as puttees. The detachable shoulder straps were coloured, dark blue for the infantry, green for rifles, red for artillery and yellow for cavalry.
The British M1902 uniform as worn by Canadian troops in France and Belgium from 1916-1918. The soldier in back is wearing a leather jerkin which was very popular with both British and Canadian troops in cold weather.
This soldier of the 173rd Highlanders is wearing the 1903 service tunic, of the doublet cut as issued to Scottish regiments. The kilt would be worn with a fabric cover to hide the bright colors when on campaign. The Glengarry hat was eventually replaced by the steel shrapnel helmet and the cloth gaiters worn over the boots were replaced by cloth puttees. The leather pouch (sporran) would not be worn on campaign.
Service dress cap in Khaki serge. The metal cap badge varied from regiment to regiment. Smart in appearance when new it quickly softened and lost its shape in service. It was replaced for field use by the steel shrapnel helmet in 1916.
The British M1915 trench cap, known to the British as the Gor blimey it was used by some Canadian troops in 1915 ~ 1916 for cold weather wear.
Mark I Steel Helmet: First issued to Canadian troops in March 1916 this helmet was designed to give the soldier protection from air burst shrapnel and shell fragments ( not bullets ) and to be easy to manufacture. With a weight of 2lb one might have expected soldiers to object to the added weight but there was surprisingly little protest as they soon discovered it really did reduce head wounds.
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