Pair of puttees, sergeant, Royal Flying Corps, 1916 circa (fabric)

Pair of puttees, sergeant, Royal Flying Corps, 1916 circa. Drab woollen cloth, World War One (1914-1918). Puttees were strips of cloth that wound from the ankle to the knee. They were worn by the British Army, and it’s Dominion and Empire units, as part of their service uniform. The word ‘puttee’ is actually derived from a Hindi word pa???, which means bandage. It was incorporated into the British lexicology from the middle of the 19th century as a result of the the Army’s long service in India, and was eventually adopted for the uniforms of all British soldiers - be they infantry, cavalry, engineers or aviators - from 1903. They were phased out after 1938. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army from before the First World War until 1 April 1918, when it merged with the Royal Naval Air service to form the Royal Air Force, or RAF.