376 ALTERATIONS IN THE CLOTHING OF ARTILLERY IN INDIA. 
The gaiter fits tight below the knee and is shaped to the leg belaw 
the calf, fitting closely round the boot at the ankle. The lower corners 
are slightly rounded. 
Purttes. 
Although putties have been freely worn in India, they have never 
been given to the soldier as part of his clothing. As I mentioned 
before, he has always had to provide them for himself. This will now 
be altered. Those who are required to wear putties, viz., Mountain 
and Garrison Artillery, will receive a biennial issue of them in advance. 
The regulation puttie is dark blue, 8 ft. long, 4 inches wide and 
without seam at the edges. 
GENERAL. 
In the above remarks I have only referred to the clothing of the rank 
and file. That of the warrant and senior non-commissioned officers is 
practically identical with it, with such slight exceptions as the issue of 
rather finer material and more elaborate trimming of gold lace. 
The great saving clause of all these scales is par. 10 of Army Order 
13, of 1894, which grants full compensation credited in advance for 
any article of personal clothing, provided the time-expired article has 
three months’ further wear in it and which recognizes the application 
of such compensation to the purchase of other clothing or necessaries 
that the soldier may require. 
Without such latitude as is given by the above order, which of 
course is applicable in its fullest sense to India also, it would have been 
hopeless to attempt to frame scales of clothing suitable to all the 
climates of Asia, varying from the bitter cold of Darjeeling to the moist 
heat of Rangoon or Aden. 
Much liberty of action is thus given to commanding officers, who, it 
is hoped, will make free use of it. 
Only one point more, and that as affecting officers. Officers’ uniform 
will remain unchanged with the exception that they will have to provide 
themselves with brown ankle boots and brown leather gaiters. The 
boots must be ordinary lace boots without toe-caps and the gaiters will 
differ from those worn by the men in being cut straight down from the 
calf in place of being shaped at the ankle. As regards the method of 
fastening, etc., they will be the same as those to be worn by the men. 
