Foot powder: a lesson learnt from the Great War

**Adrian Stevenson** · 10-22-2009, 11:08 AM

Hi Guys, after the horrors of trench warfare in WW1, the British Army learnt the lesson that trench foot needed to be avoided at all costs.

Foot care and hygene was made a priority. Feet were inspected and foot powder was issued to the men in quantity. So much so, that some of crates of WW2 dated foot powder were found intact and unopened some years ago in the Low Coutries. Much of this was dated 1940. These can still be found on many dealers lists today and make a cheap addition to any collection of British equipment.

Some tins though are a bit harder to find than others. The 4oz tin I show in the group photo at top middle is a harder one to find today. The large cardboard tube full is dated 4/40.

All the ones shown are full.

I bought most of mine in Holland some years ago now. They were being sold cheaply in a discount store selling bathroom supplies. In the shop window they had a nice original RASC marked wooden crate full. I tried to buy the crate, but they would not sell it. So my friends and I consoled ourselves with buying a few different tins of powder each. We were happy with our buys, until one of the lads remarked "What if Customs stop us on the way home? They are not going to believe this "white powder" is 60 year old talc!" Thankfully we were not stopped!

Cheers, Ade.

**RH1941** · 10-22-2009, 01:44 PM

So what is the going rate for foot powder?
Gary

**Adrian Stevenson** · 10-22-2009, 02:21 PM

About £1 a line

No, seriously, these tins sell for about £5 each. But the cardboard tubes fetch about £20. But the tin see top left is much rarer and harder to find as it was not discovered in the big hoard which was found. Hard to say a price on that one.

Cheers, Ade.

**stuka f** · 10-22-2009, 02:26 PM

We were immerged by those boxes here as well.
You saw them a every market or store, must be like 10 years ago!!
What was the story, does anybody know?

OKW · 10-22-2009, 07:23 PM

Used to use whale oil in the trenches. Foot powder was abandoned because it was basically useless, it actually causes blisters by acting as an abrasive like sand paper. Petroleum jelly is a better aid to foot care if marching along way, a bit of lubrication always helps most things.