It was a primitive way to dye cloth, but it worked: the new dun-coloured fabric was both cool and impossible to dirty. It had several other advantages, too, rendering Lumsden's regiment who served as scouts, or intelligence gatherers, as well as fighters invisible in the dust, and making them seem less alien to the local population than they appeared when clad in brash European redcoats.
If Lumsden hadn't come up with the first form of army camouflage, someone else would have had to. Brightly coloured uniforms were becoming obsolete in the face of advances in warfare. Modern, smokeless rifles were invented at around the same time as Lumsden was conducting his fabric experiments, and suddenly, it was no longer desirable for a soldier to stand out on the battlefield; hiding from the enemy was now the goal, rather than meeting him face to face with musket, sword and shield.
Interestingly, khaki made its first appearance at around the same time as Darwinist theory was gaining ground. According to the evolutionary biologist Sir Edward Poulton who published The Colours of Animals', the first book on camouflage in nature, in protective colouration in the wild proved that only the fittest survived. Khaki, which demonstrated a similar impulse to outwit predators, truly reflected the spirit of the age. Khaki got its name from the Hindi word khak', meaning dust or earth-coloured, but in fact, all manner of substances were used by soldiers to dye their uniforms.
Mulberry juice, tea, coffee, tobacco and even curry powder were enlisted, each regiment having its own recipe some smellier and messier than others. This lack of standardisation caused some teething problems with the use of khaki, but it was not until that the British patented a synthetic khaki dye.
Even then, different landscapes demanded subtle variations in colour: in India, a dusty grey tone was used; in Africa, a sandy tan; and during the First World War, fought predominantly in northern Europe, a darker greenish-brown prevailed. Ironically, the British had underinvested in their dye industry, and when war broke out in , they were still importing all their khaki from the market leader Germany, their chief enemy.
It makes sense why modern khakis are so popular. They can be worn with brown or black shoes, and be dressed up with a sport coat or down with a crisp polo.
But, with so many khakis out there, finding the right pair can be tough. BUT, if you get it wrong, you could end up looking like you work at Blockbuster. No bueno. During the Siege of Lucknow, which began in July , archivists have recorded that the 32 nd Foot, which became the 1 st Duke of Com wall's Light Infantry, dyed their white uniforms an earth colour to make themselves less conspicuous.
These two, however, despite what may be said to the contrary, were not the first British units to wear khaki, as the 2 nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry wore drill doublets so coloured, during the Frontier War in South Africa in These, however, were isolated instances. And, what is more, khaki, except in a few instances, went out of general use in India as soon as the Great Mutiny was over.
It was re-introduced as a working dress in to the abhorrence of the parade ground soldier, who saw it abolished in favour of white three years later. White drill, dyed khaki on the spot, was used by all troops who took part in the Afghan War of - the lessons taught by the red-coated battalions passing through the frontier defiles in the war of had been learnt.
After this war khaki became the official service dress in India. It was dyed regimentally, all kinds of pigments being used for the purpose - tea, coffee, mud, curry-powder. In the first year we focussed on establishing a textile dye garden in one of the polytunnels at the back of the site. We grew the traditional dye plants connected to the industries that thrived in the area during the nineteenth century. The group then worked with the dyes we had grown, producing swatches of locally grown colour and block prints inspired by walks in the environs around Gatty Park.
This year the group is continuing to discover more about the story of Gatty, his family, businesses and associates through a programme of collaborative research and creative activities. Following a visit to India in the early s Gatty became interested in the colour of British Army uniforms.
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