Homemade military puttees, Frongoch, 1916

Homemade military puttees, Frongoch, 1916

These military puttees were made in the Frongoch Internment Camp in Wales, where the majority of the Volunteers were interned after the 1916 Rising. Puttees are a standard part of a military uniform – lengths of textile which are wrapped around the lower leg over the trousers, giving support to the soldiers standing or marching over a long period of time, and protecting them from trench foot and vermin.
This pair was made from strips of cloth torn from a prison blanket, with suspender straps split in two to make tying cords. They were made by Patrick Keegan of Enniscorthy while he was interned in Frongoch.  He was also imprisoned at Wormwood Scrubs in London. Keegan was a prominent figure in the Rising in Enniscorthy, holding the rank of Captain and later Quartermaster of the North Wexford Brigade of the IRA. During the War of Independence he smuggled arms and ammunition from the USA into Ireland.