In our never-ending push to better our impression, we started taking a look at gaiters, gaiter straps & gaiter buckles. In our research we have found very little information on such minute details as ‘what did the buckle look like’. Luckily we were able to dig up (literally) some information on the topic.
Published in an article of Traditions Magazine, we find an illustration from Michel Petard illustrating the 1786 French Uniform. Figure 1. shows us the style of buckle worn by French Troops. It’s unclear if this is for the breeches or the gaiter or both. However, the buckle is said to be 2.3mm x 3.3mm and has an anchor on it so it can be attached and removed without sewing
Les ETrangers Au Service De La France 1786, Petard, Tradition Magazine, pp21-29 w. technical drawings of chapeau chemise soulier guetres pokalem giberne
- Figure 2: Close up of the buckle form the Petard drawing in Figure 1
- Figure 3: Two buckles from an archeological dig at Gloucester Point.1
- Figure 4: Buckle sold by Flying Canoe and is sold as ‘French Gaiter Buckle’.
Figure 2
Close-up of buckle (fig.1)
Figure 3
Found at Gloucester Point
Figure 4
Flying Canoe
- If we put all three side by side, we can see these are all very similar. There a few differences
- The anchor is missing, but you can clearly see where it should be.
- The brass frame is wider than what we see in the drawing.
In conclusion, as the buckles in Figure 4 closely resemble that of those found at Gloucester Point, the Regiment Saintonge will use the style buckle show in Fig. 4 as the buckle for both the britches and gaiter knee straps.
1: Gloucester Point is the location of an engagement between French and British Calvary. The battle is known as the Battle of the Hook, which took place on October 3, 1781