Battle Dress

(A.T.S. Remembered)


Battle Dress (B.D.)

Soon after girls were put on active duty, it was realised that Service Dress was not adequate for some of the jobs that the ATS were being asked to do. For example kinetheodolite operators out in the open air all day, those on gun parks and drivers of large transport vehicles were having great difficulty coping with the weather and the inadequacies of a skirt. It was therefore decided to issue members with Battle Dress (B.D.). The first B.D. issued was the same as the men's in small sizes. The material was rather rough (in fact the men used to shave their B.D. to try and remove the rough ‘hairy’ feel that it had) and eventually the women’s B.D. was made to the same style but using the softer cloth that was usually preserved for Officer’s S.D. Battledress consisted:

Members in Battledress

Members of 566 (M) Heavy Anti Aircraft battery, Royal Artillery, wearing B.D. (Battle Dress)

A.T.S. boots - note the textured leather over most of the shoe, apart from the toe-cap. The soles were also leather with metal tips added to the toe and heel to aid wear.

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