Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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uniforms quickly disappeared, and there were not enough blankets or straw mattresses. 169
The arrival of more than 30,000 Belgian and Bdtish internees in October 1914 placed even
greater demands on military stores. 170 Even if all local and foreign troops could be properly
outfitted, maintaining adequate reserves for new recruits and replacing those damaged by
wear and tear, or lost or stolen, became a significant problem for the Military Supply
Service. 171 Unlike the manufacture of weapons and ammunition, however, it proved a lot
easier to obtain many of these particular items.
One way the military augmented its supplies was by marshalling charity
organisations into knitting socks, jerseys, gloves, scarves and woollen hats. 172 Because of
the chronic underwear shortage, it also undertook a nation-wide advertising campaign
urging citizens to send any spare undergarments to supply depots, where they would receive
payment for each item. The underwear campaign was short-lived, but throughout the war,
women's organisations knitted and darned for the military, the Royal Support Committee
paid unemployed women to do the same, while imllates in many of the Netherlands' prisons
were ordered to sew underwear as well. 173 Nevertheless, there continued to be substantial
scarcity of outdoor gannents, underwear and shoe soles. 174 Militmy cobblers mld tailors
experimented with alternative materials, including wooden soles, to remedy some of the
shortages. 175 Civilians also had real problems clothing themselves in the last two war years.
The govennnent rationed clothing in 1917, and by late 1918, had designed a swapping
scheme so that for every item of clothing bought, the customer had to return a similar item,
albeit it worn down, to the shop. 176 These could then be repaired and passed on to others.
Rubber, wood and canvas replaced leather in civilian shoes. 177
169 Staatscommissie, Waarnemingen bi) de Gemobiliseerde Landmacht p. 116.
170 See: Chapter 5, pp. 170 -185.
171 Staatscommissie, Waarnemingen bi) de Gemobiliseerde Landmacht p. 117.
172 For example, see: "VoOJ' onze soldaten" [For our soldiers] Soldaten Courant. Thursday 20 August 1914, p. 3.
173 Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Documenten voor de Economische Crisis van Nederland Volume 3 p. 270; Kleijngeld,
Gemobiliseerde militairen in Tilburg p. 68.
174 Officer in charge of supply for Division II, "Rapport, bedoeld in schrijven van den Hoofdintendant van 27 Mei
1918, No. 180, Geheim" 14 June 1918, p. 7; Director Central Warehouses of Military Clothing and Materials,
"Beknopt verslag betreffende de Centrale Magazijnen van militaire kleding en uitrusting gedurende den
mobilisatietoestand (tijdvak 1 Januari 1917 - 1 Januari 1918)" 14 June 1918, both in ARA, "Archieven van de
Generale Staf' entry no. 2.13 .70, inventory no. 696; Kleijngeld, Gemobiliseerde militairen in Tilburg p. 71.
175 Commander-in-Chiefto Commander of the Field Army, 15 August 1917, in ARA, "Archiefvan het Hoofdkwartier
Veldleger" entry no. 2.13 .16, inventory no. 251.
176 Klein, "Krasse tijden" p. 1812; Moeyes, Buiten Schot p. 289.
177 Moeyes, Buiten Schot p. 296.