6. Pictorial Dress – WW1

6. Pictorial Dress – WW1 Australian Light Horse:  1914 – 1918

 

Index                                                                          

Trooper Stephen John Arbuthnot 8th Light Horse
  1. Uniform Overview            
  2. Uniform Detail
  3. Hat, khaki, fur felt
  4. Boots, leggings, and spurs

 

Uniform Overview

1914-15 Marching Order

Hat – khaki fur felt, Puggaree, Chinstrap and Hat badge.

Peak Cap – Chin strap and Cap badge

Jacket khaki – wool serge, with accoutrements.

Bandolier, Water Bottle, Haversack.

Waist belt, Ammunition Pouches.

.303 Rifle and Pat 07 Hooked Quillion Bayonnet

Breeches – Bedford Cord.   

Leggings.     

Spurs & Butterflies.

Boots

Uniform Detail

Jacket Service Dress Khaki wool serge. The most acceptable jacket for Light Horse re-enactors for this period is the pre 1943 WW11 jacket, which is almost identical to the WW1 issue jacket. Post 1943 issue is a different pattern with fewer pleats in the back and internal pockets on the lower front of the jacket.

Standard accoutrements to the jacket include: Small General Service Badge (Rising sun kings crown) on each collar peak positioned 10 mm from the edge. They can be horizontal or parallel to the collar edge. Each troop should decide on a standard approach. Australian badges on each epaulette. 

Trooper A Fergusson

Colour patches are worn on each shoulder with the unit colour above the Brigade colour (see colour patch list)

All fittings are to be matte or satin black metal.  All buttons are to be matte or satin black metal or original khaki bakelite type.

Bandolier is a 9 pocket 90 round leather pattern (issued1905) modification of the 1903 pattern.

Waist belt is 1.75″ (45mm) wide tan leather with brass buckle. Make sure the buckle is aligned with the edge of the jacket. 

Bayonet (1907 pattern) is worn on the left hand side with the attachment ring to the rear. The weight of the bayonet tends to drag the left hand side of the belt downwards. 

Although not original equipment belt hooks are sometimes used to keep the belt straight.

Breeches Bedford cord. Breeches are a corded fabric with laces below the knee. The original fabric is similar in colour to the jacket. Breeches should be held up with braces. Original braces were fireman pattern, usually khaki, off white or leather with a small stretch strap at the back.

Hat – Khaki, fur felt

The  hat is worn with a rakish tilt, spaced with 3 finger spaces above the left ear, 2 finger spaces above the left eye, and 1 finger space above the right eye. The puggaree is a plain khaki woollen band 1.75′ (45mm) wide.

The  emu plumes are fixed behind the puggaree at the centre of the left hand side of the hat.

Leather chinstrap should be adjusted inside the hat so that the buckles are in line with the eye and

the point of the mouth. 

Hat badge is the General Service badge (Rising Sun, Kings Crown) large size, and should be painted matte or satin black.

(Unofficial badges worn by light horse units during WW1 are in section 9).

Boots, leggings, and spurs

Boots are lace up and not elastic sided and are worn with Stowasser pattern leather leggings

Spurs are regulation pattern. They are worn with a leather butterfly on the spur strap. The strap goes through the slots in the butterfly over the outer edges. The long section of the butterfly faces upwards.