The surname Leckie

**Lachlan09** · 25th April 10, 05:49 AM

Leckie sounds like a Scottish name - even kilt-wearing ! (Mods take note).

Having said that, Fridays have new meaning for my 15 year-old son and myself. "The Pacific" is on TV here in Oman on Fridays !

Oh yes, there's a Marine called Leckie in the series.

Anyone watched it ?

**macwilkin** · 25th April 10, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Lachlan09

Leckie sounds like a Scottish name - even kilt-wearing ! (Mods take note).

Having said that, Fridays have new meaning for my 15 year-old son and myself. "The Pacific" is on TV here in Oman on Fridays !

Oh yes, there's a Marine called Leckie in the series.

Anyone watched it ?

I am when I can catch the shows. Robert Leckie wrote an account of his service called Helmet for My Pillow, which I highly recommend. According to this article, Leckie was of Irish heritage:

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ne...-89321762.html

I thought it was interesting that the 1st Marine Division was issued Australian pattern battledress blouses when they arrived after Guadalcanal, known as a "Vandergrift Jacket".

T.

DISCLAIMER: This post was purely for informational/educational purposes only. While not technically "on topic" with the forum, as a historian, I thought members might be interested to read the above facts.

**Lyle1** · 25th April 10, 08:45 AM

The name Leckie/Lecky is from Stirlingshire (14th Century), and Leckie's are a sept of Clan MacGregor. Maybe Robert Leckie's family lived in Scotland before they went to Ireland!

**Bruce Scott** · 25th April 10, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

I thought it was interesting that the 1st Marine Division was issued Australian pattern battledress blouses when they arrived after Guadalcanal, known as a "Vandergrift Jacket".

DISCLAIMER: This post was purely for informational/educational purposes only. While not technically "on topic" with the forum, as a historian, I thought members might be interested to read the above facts.

Apologies for continuing to take this off topic but I think the above facts need a little straightening out....

The Australian Army did not adopt the British style battle dress until the early 1950s. During the war our winter uniform, known as 'Service Dress', consisted of wool serge trousers and a tunic style jacket.

Vandergrift Jacket

Australian Army Service Dress Jacket

**BoldHighlander** · 25th April 10, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Tartan Jock

A good rule of thumb (though not an absolute one) is that if someone claims Irish heritage but their family has always been Protestant (as opposed to Catholic), they may be Ulster-Scots, especially if their family was originally Presbyterian. The real Irish tend to be Catholics.

Mine are one of those "not absolutes" .
Somewhere along the way (prior to 1550) my real native-Irish O'More's/Moore's became Protestant.

**BoldHighlander** · 25th April 10, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Lachlan09

Anyone watched it ?

I don't have cable {sigh}

**macwilkin** · 25th April 10, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by Bruce Scott

Apologies for continuing to take this off topic but I think the above facts need a little straightening out....

The Australian Army did not adopt the British style battle dress until the early 1950s. During the war our winter uniform, known as 'Service Dress', consisted of wool serge trousers and a tunic style jacket.

Vandergrift Jacket

Australian Army Service Dress Jacket

I didn't make that up, Bruce. I've found at least one reference somewhere to the Vandergrift being based on that battle blouse.

T.

**Bruce Scott** · 25th April 10, 05:39 PM

Yes, I have also seen similar references but the jackets are hardly similar. The Brits and other Commonwealth armies wore battle dress which included a blouse.

**macwilkin** · 25th April 10, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by Bruce Scott

Yes, I have also seen similar references but the jackets are hardly similar. The Brits and other Commonwealth armies wore battle dress which included a blouse.

Then the question is: what inspired it? The US forces did not wear a battle blouse before WWII, when Ike adapted the British pattern into the jacket that bore his name?

I have Kevin Lyles' excellent history of the Australian Army in WWII in my library. As soon as my daughter falls asleep, I'll take a look if he can shed some light on the subject.

T.

**Lachlan09** · 25th April 10, 08:43 PM

From my dad's experience, the British were also issued a jungle-green cotton version of battle-dress in Burma, though it wouldn't have been available in 1942.

My dad in KD in 1943 in India.

My dad in jungle-greens and bush-hat in 1944. I believe he had just come back from an op and managed to get a shave before the photo-shoot.

I believe a KD version of BD was issued in North Africa, India, Burma and Malaya earlier in the war, though conventional shirts and shirt-tunics were also worn. The shirt-tunics were popular off-duty and I think were in many cases, private purchase.

My dad told me how once, in India in 1943, he borrowed a friend's privately-tailored shirt-tunic for going out. When he returned to the camp, he was unaware there was an indelible dark betel juice stain on the back, between the shoulders. The British were obviously popular !