From Khaki to Civvies: the First World War, Demobilisation and the Narratives of Men’s Dress

The demobilisation of the British Army after the First World War launched a mass shift from military dress back into civilian clothing. The subject of the First World War and the demobilisation of the British Army is well-established in scholarly research. The narrative of the soldier’s transition from khaki to civvies is, however, less known. This thesis is a study of men’s dress during the First World War and its aftermath, focusing on demobilisation and the sartorial shifts shaped by the move from war to peace. It contributes to the historiography of men’s dress during the twentieth century by shining a light on the story of the First World War demob suit and the impact of the war on men’s dress. To unpack the story of demobilisation, the research explores the meanings and narratives embodied by the army uniform before removing it in exchange for a suit of plain clothes. It examines the ways in which the war shaped men’s everyday dress on the home front and had a lasting effect into the post-war years. The research further illustrates how the material culture in the form of wartime dress and its immaterial meanings continued beyond the Armistice. This thesis is shaped by an interdisciplinary approach, combining archival sources with the tactile findings from object-based research of surviving men’s dress. Through analysis of archival documents, trade journals and newspapers this thesis traces wartime developments in men’s dress. Key to this research are the archival private papers, diaries, memoirs, and oral histories through which this thesis seeks to uncover the personal narratives of lived sartorial experiences. The research reveals the individual stories of uniform personalisation, the distaste amongst civilians for standardised suits and the attempts by demobilised soldiers to ameliorate their demob suits. It engages with post-war social and cultural histories to explore the nuances of everyday dress in the war’s aftermath. This thesis shows how dress and personal appearances are interwoven with the lived experience of everyday life and are key in shaping a sense of self.