It seems that folk have been wrapping pieces of cloth around the lower part of their legs for centuries, as a protection against various things such as water, leeches, brambles and boulders etc. The word puttee comes from the Hindi language meaning a bandage or strip of cloth, and it seems that British soldiers serving in India during the second half of the nineteenth century adopted puttees as part of their uniform, an idea that was replicated across several of the world’s armies for at least another century. Mountaineers required similar protection for their legs and the fabulous picture opposite shows members of the 1924 Everest expedition sporting a wonderful array of lower leg wear including puttees. Fox Brothers entered the wool industry in 1772 and were a thriving company by the time the war department saw need for puttee material – during World War One they produced 852 miles of khaki coloured cloth for military puttees. Mountaineers and skiers were another market for the Fox Brothers and they also mangaged to develop the brand into a fashion item, an idea that reappears from time to time in the world of designer fashion. So the rather small pair of Fox Puttees we have here in the collection have a large history. We found this particular pair in an old rucksack but unfortunately, don’t know who the previous owner was – so thanks in absentia! PS a pair of Fox’s Puttees can still be bought in 2018 for around £35/40.