“Knitting for Tommy: Keeping the Great War Soldier Warm” by Lucinda Gosling, published 2014 by The History Press.
“Tommy” was the name commonly ascribed to British Soldiers.
During World War 1, a knitting craze swept across Britain, as women everywhere wanted to "kit out" their Tommies with socks, mittens, balaclavas, vests, jumpers, and all manner of knitwear.
Millions of socks, for example, were sent from the home front to the front line. Dry socks were imperative to avoid the painful and debilitating condition known as trench foot.
Don'ts to Remember When Making Socks:
Don't forget that a man may not have a chance to change his socks for many days, and a lump or a knot can cause a blister. If the blister breaks, blood-poisoning may result in the loss of a foot or even a life. We cannot afford to lose our men through negligence or ignorance.
Through magazine adverts, postcards, cartoons and photographs of the day, and 40 patterns for all manner of clothing, the book explores the knitting craze that started in Britain and swept through Canada and the United States. The author mentions a similar enthusiasm for knitting in Germany, pointing out that “across the warring nations, and regardless of race, it seemed that knitting was a universal language.”
(click pic to enlarge)
A more detailed review of this book can be found here.
We here at Infomaniac hope you will make time today to remember our fallen war heroes.
