Modified 37 Pattern Anklets

When the 37 pattern battledress was introduced in the late 1930s, puttees were discarded to be replaced by cotton webbing anklets. These were generally appreciated by the soldiers wearing them as being much easier to put on and take off, however once in regular use a number of problems began to show up. The major problem that the army found with their new anklets was that they wore out too quickly. They tended to wear very badly on the base where the anklet constantly rubbed with the soldier’s boots and the webbing straps used to fasten them tended to either snap, or fray to a point where it became hard to fasten them through the buckles.

A rethink was clearly needed, and something more durable was required for both the straps and where the anklet meets the boot. The solution was leather:As can be seen the webbing straps have been replaced by a dark brown leather, stitched to the main anklet:This fastened into the usual brass buckles to secure the anklet firmly:Whilst a leather crescent has been attached to both front and rear of the anklet, on the inside:This particular pair of anklets was made by ‘Leather Products’ in 1942 and has the /|\ mark on the inside:The size ‘4’ is also clearly marked here. This type of anklet was to prove very long lasting, with the basic design, painted white, still being used today by the Royal Navy for ceremonial wear when on guard duty with weapons. However the leather straps have been dropped again to allow the whole anklet to be white, presumably the infrequency of their use prevents the fraying that had been such a problem during the war when they were in everyday use. Below is the guard for the launch of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth earlier this year, all wearing white painted anklets: