Figure 1.--Here we see three unidentified English children. We are not sure just where they are in England. The children look to be about 10 years old. The boy is wearing agaberdine overcoat. And the middle girl seems to be holding one. The snapshot is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1930.

Perhaps the best known English overcoat, especially for boys, is the gabardine overcoat. It was not a heavy winter coat, but winters in England are milder than in America and much of Europe. It was water repelent which was important in England because of all the rainy days. It was not designed for children. In fact it became known as the 'trench coat' because of its military origins. Two British luxury clothing manufacturers (Burberry and Aquascutum) claim the gaberdine overcoat. 【Chastain】 Aquascutum's claim dates to the 1850s. Thomas Burberry invented gabardine fabric (1879). He submitted a well-documented, design for a British Army officer's raincoat to the War Office (1901). It was commonly worn as a kind of windbreaker or rain coat more than for warmth during the winter. It was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers during World War I. The trench coat became an optional British Army unifiorm item. Only officers could wear them. And it was not standard issue. Officers had to purchase them in stores. It was during World War I that they became known as 'trench coats'. We are not sure when children, mostly boys, began wearing them, but we believe it was sfter World War I (1920s). The popularity was probably partly due to the fact that British private schools began adopting them as part of the uniform. And it was widely worn for much of the 20th century into the post-World War II era. There appears to be a social class factor here. As far as we can tell they were mostly worn by middle- and upper-class boys.

Created: 7:49 PM 6/21/2023
Last updated: 7:49 PM 6/21/2023