Clothes Brush Belonging to Private D Ross of the 79th Highland Light Infantry
The Highlanders’ Museum

This clothes brush would have been part of a soldier’s ‘necessaries’ and can help us understand the everyday life of members of the armed forces.   

Necessaries were required items of clothing and personal kit which a soldier would be expected to provide at their own expense. They were often purchased from the Regimental Quartermaster who would have made a small profit. This brush belonged to Private Ross who served for twenty-one years in the Highland Light Infantry.   

This clothes brush shows how important it was for soldiers to respect their uniform and look presentable at all times.