Battle Gears and How They Changed Over History: a Recap

By: Celina Yang

1415 Agincourt battle-

No armor except cap, clothes, weapons(arrows, axes, sword, small swords), games, wooden eating utensils, boots, tin water bottle, and small pieces of personal belongings(locket). The lack of armor seemed to be due to the metal being rare and the weapons such as the axes seemed to be used for making dwellings and trenches. Games are used for entertainment for the soldiers and the eating utensils for meals. The tin water bottle is probably to keep the temperature stable. 

1815 Battle of Waterloo-

No armor, red soldier kits- boots, chess, books, glasses, rifle, sword, brushes, emergency kit, lien shirts, fingerless gloves. The red color for the clothes seemed to be useful for not showing blood, and the rifles and the sword that is attached to the rifle is used to keep the distance of the enemy. The emergency kit for wounds and the fingerless gloves to be able to shoot correctly. 

1485 Battle of Bosworth-

A lot of armor, red clothes, a lot of metal and steel. Swords, rosary and belts, and eating utensils (steel). Money and a cloak. The armor is used to block arrows and the red is used to cover up blood as mentioned above. The sword seems to be for fighting the eating utensils for meals. The cloak and money showed that they went around like citizens and bought things as well.

1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift-

Red kits with white hats. Rifles with sword-like things attached to the front, and white little bags attached to the straps of their uniform. The bags seemed to contain guns or other things. Some carried white sticks under their arms. The red kits seemed to be used for the same reason as all the others, to avoid showing blood and weakness, and the small white bags for carrying small weapons. Some strategies they used include moving in two lines where the line behind shoots while the front line goes down to load their guns and they move up as they go. 

Through the ages, battle gear has changed with the climate, weapons as well as the people. As more advanced guns and bombs were developed, many soldiers lost their heavy armor which definitely did not save them from being shot or get bombarded, yet still weighed 40 pounds. A common essential mostly similar throughout history was a game for entertainment and eating utensils. As you see the change in this gear, what would be the battle gear for wars in the future? And what uses would it incorporate?