Army accused of sexism over 'housewife kits'

You couldn’t make this nonsense up,all that’s going on in the world and this is important?

It’s also poorly written and shows no knowledge of the army.




The army has been accused sexism after regiments referred to sewing sets carried by soldiers as “housewife kits”.

Acknowledging the term was “outdated”, the Ministry of Defence said that it no longer has a place in the armed forces.

Sewing kits are not issued to Army personnel who are expected to assembled their own.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9074666.html

Non story.

I've never, ever heard of a sewing kit referred to as a "housewife kit".

Bloody splitters.

Idiotic PC correctness will be the end of us all, I tell ya..

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Originally Posted by VDG

Idiotic PC correctness will be the end of us all, I tell ya..

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Seconded [emoji91]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah......The Independent.....enoughsaid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Lampoc

I've never, ever heard of a sewing kit referred to as a "housewife kit".

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It’s been going for ages.



https://ageofrevolution.org/200-obje...fe-sewing-kit/

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Originally Posted by bwest76

It’s been going for ages.



https://ageofrevolution.org/200-obje...fe-sewing-kit/

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You learn something every day! Obviously being in the RAF we had butlers or maids to do our sewing.

The clank of mess tins rings in my ears to this day.

Let’s hope that the papers don’t find out what WRAC was said to stand for by the squaddies. Bear Pit material I’m afraid.

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Originally Posted by bwest76

It’s been going for ages.

https://ageofrevolution.org/200-obje...fe-sewing-kit/

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And it's still a non-story.

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Originally Posted by Lampoc

You learn something every day! Obviously being in the RAF we had butlers or maids to do our sewing.

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Now that I believe :smug:

We did everything ourselves except tailoring of no2s.
we where expected to be self reliant in every way.
If I sew a button on its stays on,though threading the needles harder nowadays.

Some of the PC nonsense in the forces nowadays is ridiculous to the detriment of the job.

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Originally Posted by Lampoc

You learn something every day! Obviously being in the RAF we had butlers or maids to do our sewing.

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Bat man

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bwest76

You couldn’t make this nonsense up,all that’s going on in the world and this is important?

It’s also poorly written and shows no knowledge of the army.




The army has been accused sexism after regiments referred to sewing sets carried by soldiers as “housewife kits”.

Acknowledging the term was “outdated”, the Ministry of Defence said that it no longer has a place in the armed forces.

Sewing kits are not issued to Army personnel who are expected to assembled their own.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9074666.html

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It's pronounced "hussif". At least it is (or was) in the RN, where they weren't issued but were available from the NAAFI. I still have one, and dug it out the other day to sew a button onto a pair of trousers and a suit jacket. I need the needle threader nowadays, though, which fortunately came with the kit.

Oh it was in the Independant.

A bastion for liberal, the self-righteous, right minded people who aren't susceptible to a little viral signaling.

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Originally Posted by Andyg

Oh it was in the Independant.

A bastion for liberal, the self-righteous, right minded people who aren't susceptible to a little viral signaling.

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Should it be 'self-lefteous' and 'left minded' bastion or something, a lot of people could take offence you know.

Perhaps the report from the Daily Mail would be more suited to some.

R

I still carry my housewife in my offshore kit bag

It was reported in several places I saw it when reported on a military site.
There seems to be a lot of unnecessary extreme political correctness going on.

Perhaps we shouldn’t call it a bayonet frog anymore in case we upset the French etc.etc.?

This my original I thought it was issued to me but maybe I got it from the NAAFI,the buttons are correct for the uniform of the time.
I called it a sewing kit myself, I certainly couldn’t darn and not much good on the useless nylon socks we had.


https://i.postimg.cc/vTWQW24x/15-BF3...D640050097.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/dVnVHf48/4-D015...099-AE56-D.jpg

Whao, that thing is short of a deathtrap, I'm surprise 'elf 'n safety people didn't jump on it yet. The long supers strong threads are clearly a strangulation risk if someone entangle in them, sharp needles could be easely injested or take someone's eye, and loose buttons are clearly a choking hazard. Well and that yellow thing, I don't know, it looks brutal.. I say ban them immediately.

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Originally Posted by VDG

Idiotic PC correctness will be the end of us all, I tell ya..

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It's just a new term for "manners". How any normal, decent human with any empathy would instinctively behave, assuming they have come from a good home.

Loony right-wingers appear to believe that it's perfectly OK to be gratuitously offensive to whomever, usually justifying their boorish behaviour as "banter" or "humour".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bwest76

Perhaps we shouldn’t call it a bayonet frog anymore in case we upset the French etc.etc.?

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In which case, you’ll need to find a different name for that bladed extension to your rifle, o Grand Master Of the Order of the Witty Reply. Bayonet is also French.

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

In which case, you’ll need to find a different name for that bladed extension to your rifle, o Grand Master Of the Order of the Witty Reply. Bayonet is also French.

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As is half our language :eagerness:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Holsterman

It's just a new term for "manners". How any normal, decent human with any empathy would instinctively behave, assuming they have come from a good home.

Loony right-wingers appear to believe that it's perfectly OK to be gratuitously offensive to whomever, usually justifying their boorish behaviour as "banter" or "humour".

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Where did that come from?
it’s a sewing kit hardly gratuitously offensive, FYI the army lives on banter it keeps the moral up. :smug:

Shame that the author failed to identify who was actually making this accusation. Perhaps it wasn't anyone and the author simply made it up.

Shame the author did not actually get confirmation from the Army, that this term was actually still or ever in use. Sounds to me that it could have been a term used 50 years ago, but much more likely that the correct name was a "sewing kit"

Shame the author did not write an article on the Young Women's Trust (who she quoted) on why the YWT is both sexist, ageist and discriminates against all women over the age of 30 and all males.

But then this would not fit her agenda.

Its just pulp designed to infer how bad and how down trodden women still are in 2019, but not actually providing any real evidence to support it. However I image the readership just lap it up because it plays to their own trigger points and sensitivities.

So actually no different to the Daily Mail, Express, etc.

People a being played by the media and the vast vast majority are simply to dim or to lazy to see it.

This is known as a “housewife”, a compact sewing kit that a soldier carried on campaign to mend his uniform. It was owned by Captain Newton Chambers, who served with the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. At the Battle of Waterloo he was aide-de-camp to General Sir Thomas Picton and was killed during the battle, as was Picton himself.

This housewife was made of silk pockets containing threads, five buttons and a small pincushion in a card tied with a pink ribbon. The term housewife referring to a portable sewing kit was used in print for the first time in 1749. Such kits were also known as a “hussif”. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was common for mothers, wives and sweethearts to embroider personalised sewing kits for their menfolk to take to war. The one above is obviously a gift from a woman who was close to Captain Chambers. These sewing kits are very popular with collectors today.

From the mid 19th century to the mid-20th century a more prosaic khaki roll-up pouch containing thread, buttons, scissors, needles and a thimble became standard army issue. Before the advent of safety pins the housewife was useful for mending uniforms and sewing on buttons, ranks, and awards. The needle could also be used for removing splinters, and on occasion, sewing up a wound. Some soldiers even took up recreational needlework. After the First World War (1914-18), embroidery became a popular therapeutic occupation for wounded soldiers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Holsterman

It's just a new term for "manners". How any normal, decent human with any empathy would instinctively behave, assuming they have come from a good home.

Loony right-wingers appear to believe that it's perfectly OK to be gratuitously offensive to whomever, usually justifying their boorish behaviour as "banter" or "humour".

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No. They aren't the same thing.

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Originally Posted by monogroover

No. They aren't the same thing.

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What is the difference between normal, civilised manners, and PC? The advent of PC (I'm 57) hasn't altered the way I interact with others.

Shame someone is either too dim or too lazy to read the article.

R

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bwest76

This is known as a “housewife”, a compact sewing kit that a soldier carried on campaign to mend his uniform. It was owned by Captain Newton Chambers, who served with the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. At the Battle of Waterloo he was aide-de-camp to General Sir Thomas Picton and was killed during the battle, as was Picton himself.

This housewife was made of silk pockets containing threads, five buttons and a small pincushion in a card tied with a pink ribbon. The term housewife referring to a portable sewing kit was used in print for the first time in 1749. Such kits were also known as a “hussif”. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was common for mothers, wives and sweethearts to embroider personalised sewing kits for their menfolk to take to war. The one above is obviously a gift from a woman who was close to Captain Chambers. These sewing kits are very popular with collectors today.

From the mid 19th century to the mid-20th century a more prosaic khaki roll-up pouch containing thread, buttons, scissors, needles and a thimble became standard army issue. Before the advent of safety pins the housewife was useful for mending uniforms and sewing on buttons, ranks, and awards. The needle could also be used for removing splinters, and on occasion, sewing up a wound. Some soldiers even took up recreational needlework. After the First World War (1914-18), embroidery became a popular therapeutic occupation for wounded soldiers.

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Not questioning the historical use of the term, but according to the IMW, it's a term that died out in 1989 - so 40 years ago. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30016350

So is it an actually a term still officially/unofficially used in the Army today. Because if not, then this article-allegation is some fabricated fake bullshit outrage based upon a term used years ago

Even the author, reported that the Army no longer issued these kits and troops have to provide their own. FFS

But just in case I suppose we start remaining things like the Husband Shark because it might be viewed as sexist by this twat. And don't get me started on Midwife. :smug:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Holsterman

What is the difference between normal, civilised manners, and PC? The advent of PC (I'm 57) hasn't altered the way I interact with others.

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No, I'm damn sure it hasn't.

Still available at Silvermans, in plan or in waterproof versions:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/09...g?v=1552577369
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/09...g?v=1467286613

I'd love to know how your brain reconciles statements that you make, like these, I really would.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andyg

Shame the author did not actually get confirmation from the Army, that this term was actually still or ever in use..

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andyg

Not questioning the historical use of the term,

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by HappyJack

Still available at Silvermans, in plan or in waterproof versions:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/09...g?v=1552577369
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/09...g?v=1467286613

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Cool, but shouldn't it have a NSN number if it was actually issued. Also just because Silverman refers to it as a Housewife Kit, is that it's formal title? The reason for asking is that piece of cameo, would look pretty crappy on many fatigues. Plus I cannot see the NSN.

Andy, let it go, the horse has been flogged, it was called a bloody housewife when many of us served, if you want a picture of mine balanced on a turd just let me know. :eagerness:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Artistmike

I'd love to know how your brain reconciles statements that you make, like these, I really would.....

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Well play, :smug: I accept my position changed when I saw a reference to a Housewifes kit in the Imperial War Museum. Although it was never a term i had heard during my dealings with Army personal in the past.

However the question remains - who exactly were these people "accusing" the Army (but not Silverman :smug:) of sexism over the use of the term.

As others have said, it was a non-story, but still a story deemed important enough for the Independant to print. So the big question has to be why?

That’s no surprise we didn’t sit in the NAAFI discussing the best way to sew on a button or pearl one stitch one.

We had bags of booze and lined up tenants cans for beauty contests and usually talked a load of drunken nonsense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by seadog1408

Andy, let it go, the horse has been flogged, it was called a bloody housewife when many of us served, if you want a picture of mine balanced on a turd just let me know. :eagerness:

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Fair enough Mike, but just for my information how long ago did you serve? Plus I bet you used lots of other terms at that time, which you couldn't get away with today. :smug:

i just hate all this revisionist bollocks. 99.99% of the population simply don't care and there are more important things impacting society and the world to worry about. In next weeks Independant will there be a peice on why Dad Army is isn't gender neutral and sexist or the Black Watch is racist. FFS!

I served 80's/90's Andy, and I agree with you regards the modern day bollocks.


mike