GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT 



GLOVES AND GLOVE-MAKING 



Gloucester Regi- 

 ment badge 



Gloucestershire Regiment. 



Regiment of the British army. 

 Known by this name since 1881, it 

 represents the 

 old 28th and 6 1st 

 regiments of 

 foot. It served 

 under Marl- 

 borough, and 

 helped to win the 

 battle of Ramil- 

 lies in 1706. At 

 Almanza the regiment incurred 

 heavy losses ; it was present at the 

 battle of Fontenoy in 1745, and 

 assisted at the capture of Louis- 

 burg in 1758 and Quebec in 1759. 

 In the battle before Alexandria 

 (1801) the regiment repulsed the 

 French attack on both sides, in 

 commemoration of which the men 

 enjoy the distinction of wearing 

 the regimental badge on the front 

 and back of their caps. 



It fought in the Peninsular War, 

 distinguishing itself at Talavera 

 (1809), Salamanca (1812), and 

 Toulouse. Later it Avon distinction 

 at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, in 

 the Punjab campaign, the Crimean 

 War, and the Indian Mutiny. 

 During the S. African War the 

 Gloucesters shared in the defence 

 of Ladysmith, the relief of Kim- 

 berley, and in the operations which 

 led to the occupation of Bloemfon- 

 tein, March 14, 1900. 



The regiment fought with dis- 

 tinction in the Great War. The 1st 

 battalion was in the retreat from 

 Mons and at the battles of the 

 Aisne and Ypres, 1914. It did 

 splendid service at Loos, 1915, on 

 the Somme, 1916, and in subsequent 

 fighting. The 10th service battalion 

 was singled out for mention by 

 Lord French for gallant work at 

 Loos, and the Ist-Gth battalion 



GLOVES 



Gloucestershire. 



Map ol the West of England county, showing the head oi 

 the Severn estuary 



(Territorials) rendered excellent 

 service in 1915-16 at St. Eloi, 

 Wulverghem, and elsewhere. A 

 stone obelisk is to be erected on 

 the Ypres-Menin road near Hooge 

 to commemorate the regiment's 

 campaigns, 1914-18. The regi- 

 mental depot is at Bristol. 



AND GLOVE-MAKING 



A. T. E. Binstead, of The Drapers' Organiser 



Articles of related interest to this are those on Costume and the 

 various items thereof, e.g. Boot ; Hat. See also Leather 



A glove is a covering for the hand. 

 The custom of wearing gloves goes 

 back to immemorial times. Xeno- 

 phon refers to their use by the 

 Persians. They were familiar to 

 the Romans, who, however, gener- 

 ally despised their use, and were 

 worn by the Anglo-Saxons in the 

 7th century. In those days there 

 was only a separate division for the 

 thumb, and it is doubtful if they 

 were generally worn in England 

 until some centuries later. A glove 

 with two thumbs, so that it may be 

 used for either hand, is still worn 

 in Iceland. In the 13th century 

 gloves made of linen and reaching 

 to the elbow began to be worn for 

 ornament, as well as for warmth 



or protection. Leather gauntlet 

 gloves were used for hawking, 

 and knights when in full armour 

 had gloves with metal entirely 

 covering the back of the hand 

 and overlapping the fingers. 

 These were made flexible in the 

 centre. Gloves were part of the 

 imperial insignia in the Middle 

 Ages, and are still worn ceremoni- 

 ally by the pope and the Roman 

 Catholic hierarchy. In the gor- 

 geous dress of the 15th, 16th, and 

 17th centuries gloves, perfumed, 

 jewelled, or richly embroidered on 

 the back, and decorated with 

 fringed gauntlets, made their ap- 

 pearance. Queen Elizabeth was 

 especially fond of these costly 



articles, and some of her gloves are 

 still extant. 



The three rows of stitchery 

 seen on the back of modern 

 gloves are said to be a survival of 

 these embroidered backs, though 

 it is more probable that formerly 

 the stitching of the fingers was ex- 

 tended to make the hand look long 

 and slim. Modern forms of gloves 

 include rubber ones worn by sur- 

 geons, electricians, etc., and padded 

 gloves for boxing and for other 

 sports and games. 



Gloves as Symbols 



Gloves have had their symbolic 

 meanings. Thus it was the custom 

 to wear gloves in the hat as the 

 favour of a mistress, the memorial 

 of a friend, and as a mark to be 

 challenged by an enemy ; and a 

 glove was thrown down as a chal- 

 lenge to an enemy, who accepted 

 battle by picking it up. 



Gloves are believed to have been 

 first made hi England on a large 

 scale by the monks of Bath. In the 

 14th century a guild of glovers came 

 into existence in London, and the 

 trade of making them was already 

 a profitable calling. The prices of 

 ordinary sheep-leather gloves were 

 then fixed at IJd. per pair, whilst 

 the best gloves fetched 2d. a pair. 



