The 85th Battalion wore practically the same uniform as much the rest of the Commonwealth forces. As the war progressed, minor variations did occur, but the fundamentals of the uniform remained the same.
The Service Dress
Following their formation in the Fall of 1915, the Nova Scotia Highlanders were denied their kilts, due to lack of material. Instead, they wore the standard service dress offered to all forces in the Commonwealth. The uniform consisted of a jacket and trousers, worn with puttees. The trousers were straight legged and came in varying colours of khaki brown. The jackets, on the other hand, were of Canadian Issue, and had 7 buttons instead of the standard 5. They were also a much greener colour than the brown of the British Uniforms. By 1918, the regiment had lost many of its 7 button tunics to the wear and tear of war. The men had switched to the standard 5 button pattern, and upon receiving the kilt in June, 1918, they had them tailored to the cut away style to accommodate sporrans. These were worn until they arrived home in May, 1919. Most of our men choose to wear the 5 button, cut away style, as they are easier to acquire and are more versatile.
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The Tam O'Shanter
The Tam O'Shanter, or simply Tam, is a traditional highland cap, similar to the Balmoral but less rigid and far more versatile. It is to sit just above the ears, and be cocked smartly to the right on parade. Off of parade, it can be worn in many ways, including pulled forward like a ball cap or with a feather hackle. The feather hackle for the 85th Battalion was 5 brown peacock feathers with a red plume in the front. These were worn after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, in April 1917, as men were only allowed to wear them after serving in combat.
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Puttees
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Puttees were woolen leg wraps worn by over ones trousers or their kilt hose from the ankle to the top of the calf. They were wrapped fairly tightly and were mainly to support the ankle. They varied in quality but, when worn properly, will be water resistant and will keep the wearer's feet and lower legs fairly dry.
To properly wrap your puttees start with a small length coming down the front of your leg to the top of your boot. Next, fold it 90 degrees to the outside of your leg and wrap it tightly around the top of the boot. Now begin to slowly wrap up you calf, ensuring that you have a good overlap and the puttee is keeping tight to your leg. If it begins to come loose on the lower edge, pull it up your leg so the bottom edge is tight, and then fold it over and continue to wrap. When you reach the top of your calf, level off the top and wrap the tape tightly, but not too tightly, on the outside. Lastly, you simply fold in the end of the tape and wrap it around itself tightly. |
The Kilt
Lastly is what everyone associates with a highland regiment, the kilt. Despite this, the 85th Battalion did not receive their kilts upon formation in 1915. Plaids were in high demand for the other regiments already over seas, so despite being accepted as a highland, the Nova Scotia Highlanders only received kilts for their bands and their officers. The battalion wore trousers for much of the war, and were made fun of for it until their glorious actions at Vimy Ridge in April of 1917. In June of 1918, reports came in that the battalion was to receive the Argyle and Sutherland tartan for all men and officers. The tartan is much like the Black Watch tartan, but is box pleated. We reenactors of the 85th Battalion reenacted have agreed that exact replicas would be uneconomical and allow all recruits to opt for the Black Watch kilt sold here.
Kilts during the great war were mass produced, and instead of being tailored to each man, would be made in varying waits but all the same length. This works well with the kilt we advise using, as they are all two feet in length but come in varying waists. |
The Badges
The 85th Battalion had a number of badges they wore as identification markers.
The first is the cap badge on the Tam O'shanter. Though this is an original 85th Battalion cap badge, we do allow badges from the rest of the Nova Scotia Highland brigade, including the 185, 193, 219, and 246 battalions. These badges are all the same design, but with different numbers on them. So here we can see all the patches and badges worn by the 85th. First, is the 85 numeral, which are scarce and never made after the initial production, so the INF titles are also acceptable. Second, is the Canada flash. This pattern is preferred. They are commonly found and are reproduced by some companies. The formation patch. This is actually two patches combined. The large green 3x3 inch patch represents the 4th Canadian Division. The smaller patch is, in the handbook, supposed to be 2x2 inches, but were cut down due to lack of supply. The colour blue represents the 12th Infantry Brigade while the square represents the 85th Battalion. The red grenade patch is unique to bombers, and is only to be worn by qualified members. |