A very simple but very useful piece of equipment was the British Leather Jerkin. A common uniform article for the European Theater. This sleeveless jacket found it's self in use by the Commonwealth forces during the Second World War. I'm not quite sure when it was first developed, my guess goes back to Medieval times, perhaps much earlier than that. This was probably first intended as a light weight protection and soon becoming an undergarment for the armor. Made of scraps of animal hide, this was a tough and useful article and was first used by British Commandos during W.W.II. Soon after finding it's way to all other Commonwealth troops by the late war years.

After taking a closer look at 21st Century's Jerkin, I though it couldn't be that tough to make one from genuine leather. So I cut a pattern and tried it out. I'm quite happy with the results, although my stitching is less than perfect I love the look of the natural leather. And it fit's well too. I used a little black shoe polish, reddish brown pastel and some leather saddle soap to give it the worn look.

 

Fallschirmartz©2002