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A puttee, also spelled ''puttie'', is the name, adapted from the Hindi ''patti'', bandage (Skr. ''patta'', strip of cloth), for a covering for the lower part of the leg from the ankle to the knee. It consisted of a long narrow piece of cloth wound tightly and spirally round the leg, and serving to provide both support and protection. It was worn by both mounted and dismounted soldiers, generally taking the place of the leather or cloth gaiter. ==History== The puttee was first adopted as part of the service uniform of foot and mounted soldiers serving in British India during the second half of the nineteenth century. In its original form the puttee comprised long strips of cloth worn as a tribal legging in the Himalayas. The British Indian Army found this garment to be both comfortable and inexpensive, although it was considered to lack the smartness of the gaiter previously worn.〔Boris Mollo, p158 "The Indian Army", ISBN 0 7137 1074 8〕 The puttee was subsequently widely adopted by a number of armies including those of the British Commonwealth, the Austro Hungarian Army, the Chinese National Revolutionary Army, the Belgian Army, the Dutch Army, the French Army, the Imperial Japanese Army, the Italian Army, the Portuguese Army, the Turkish Army and the United States Army. Most of these armies adopted puttees during or shortly before World War I. Puttees were in general use by the British Army as part of the khaki service uniform worn from 1902, until 1938 when a new Battle Dress was introduced, which included short webbing gaiters secured with buckles.〔R.M. Barnes, p282 "A History of the Regiments & Uniforms of the British Army", First Sphere Books 1972〕 Puttees generally ceased to be worn as part of military uniform during World War II. Reasons included the difficulty of quickly donning an item of dress that had to be wound carefully around each leg, plus medical reservations regarding hygiene and varicose veins. However the cheapness and easy availability of cloth leggings meant that they were retained in the Japanese and some other armies until 1945. When the British Army finally replaced Battle Dress with the 1960 Pattern Combat Dress, the webbing gaiters were replaced by ankle high puttees.〔Smith, Digby (1977) (''The British Army 1965-80'' ), Osprey Publishing, ISBN 9780850452730 (p. 12)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Puttee」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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