Leatherneck

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

This leather collar is once again an early American copy of British line regiment traditions including those of the Royal Marines.As an example,view Sharpe's Rifles,a series of the 95th Rifles,wherein line regiments wore the black leather collar to keep the soldier's heads erect during the Peninsular War under Lord Wesseley(Wellington).When I was down in Boston last fall for a Patriots football game against Seattle Seahawks,on Saturday with our host went up to the Lexington Concord battlefield bridge,where the "shot heard around the world" started the revolution>There was an early American reenactor battle group there,who were also wearing the black leather neck piece.Everything from drill on down to the drumming was of British regulations.Heck they even played "British Grenadiers" as part of their performance.