14 replies to this topic

[skipman]

A collector friend has just purchased a pair of Fox Wellington Somerset  F.I.P. " 1909 patent puttees. ( Officers )
I have yet to get a photograph, but he describes them as normal puttees, but they have spats at the bottom, made of same material. Are they unusual?

Cheers Mike

[Joe Sweeney]

Mike,

What's the patent number?

Is it 14214?

Joe Sweeney

[skipman]

That's the one Joe.

Mike

[Joe Sweeney]

I was afraid of that. I was hoping for another number to look-up.

That particular patent only refers to the method of steaming the puttees to give them a perminent curve to otherwise straight puttees.

I'm not a collector of Officers gear, but to me they sound a bit unusual--hope to see photos soon.

Joe Sweeney

[skipman]

Many thanks Joe. Will get photo asap, and post.

Cheers Mike

[Andrew Upton]

I'm sure I've seen mention of these before in some of their adverts, and believe them to be a post-war civilian thing.

[Alan Tucker]

This firm produced puttees by the million in the Great War and probably in the Second. Also other woollen items. At its peak employed 4500 people. The Fox family were Quakers. Many members of my family worked there in the 20thC until decline and closure including my father twice.

[paddy60th]

This firm produced puttees by the million in the Great War and probably in the Second. Also other woollen items. At its peak employed 4500 people. The Fox family were Quakers. Many members of my family worked there in the 20thC until decline and closure including my father twice.

Ther was an article in yesterdays Daily Express regarding Fox Wellington Somerset. It appears that although the firm is still going its future was uncertain as the managing director, who is 63, had no one to leave the company to when he retires. However Deborah Meaden,
entrepreneur and one of TV's 'Dragons' who lives near the firm has stepped in with a large investment to take a controlling interest. She was happy to help saying that the company was an 'absolute gem'. It employed up to 4,500 people in its heyday but is now down to 15 highly-skilled weavers. It was first founded in 1772.

[skipman]

Here we go

[skipman]

Cheers Mike

[Grovetown]

A combined 'Spat and Puttee' was patented in 1922.

Spat and Puttee

Search of the site doesn't (on a quick peruse) reveal anything similar that was wartime.

Best wishes,

GT.

[Andrew Upton]

A combined 'Spat and Puttee' was patented in 1922.

Spat and Puttee

Search of the site doesn't (on a quick peruse) reveal anything similar that was wartime.

Confirms what I said back in post 6 - there was a thriving civilian puttee market as well as a military one (the example I recall seeing in the Fox adverts was them saying how useful they were for skiers, being warm, waterproof and providing good ankle/leg support).

[skipman]

Many thanks for your help folks. Appreciated.

Cheers mike

[Luke Copse]

Hi, This is my first post -


A belated response.....


There are adverts for Fox's Puttees with spats in the "Sphere" magazine dating from 1901 and 1904..
At this time they were aimed at civilians and extol the virtues of the puttee with attached spats as being ideal for cyclists.

The only image I have come across with a British soldier wearing this type of puttee during WW1 is of an officer at Sedd -el-Bahr fort, Cape Helles, Gallipoli in 1915.

This image is protected from reproduction but  is in the Liddle Hart Centre for Military Archives, at Kings College London  - digital photo collection "Gallipoli in Detail'"

www.kingscollections.org/servingsoldier/index.php?id=740

Photo 20,  figure on extreme right.
Regards

[skipman]

Thank you Luke Copse, That's interesting, I will let my collector pal know.

Cheers Mike