Infantryman in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps - Musée de la Grande Guerre

Infantryman in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, United Kingdom, 1914.

Infantryman in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps

In 1902, the British Crown decided to provide its standing army with a new field uniform. The new uniform was made from dark khaki wool, with a modern and understated style.

This uniform was a true cultural revolution. It was inconspicuous, with a simple cut: a pea jacket with four pockets and a turn-down collar, straight-legged trousers, and puttees in the same fabric. Marching shoes were made of black leather. They also had practical canvas kit: the Pattern 1908 Web Infantry Equipment, which was provided from 1908. This ingenious system, in ring-spun cotton, combined all of the soldier’s useful equipment in one single piece and was functional and comfortable. It had a wide belt, two cartridge pouches, a bayonet frog, metal canteen with a woollen khaki sleeve, a haversack, a case for an entrenching tool, and two large braces, to which a large valise was attached. Lastly, the Lee-Enfield repeating rifle had a magazine that could hold two chargers with 5 cartridges.

Fantassin du King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Fantassin du King’s Royal Rifle Corps