II.—Some Aspects of the Craft of the Armourer

Extract

There are certain details connected with the craft of the armourer, or rather with his productions, which hitherto have not received the attention which they undoubtedly deserve; for they bear very definitely on the whole subject of military equipment and as such require careful consideration if we are to use sculptured or pictorial contemporary records as illustrations of military operations. Writers on arms and armour have, with few if any exceptions, dealt solely with design and form, and have seldom noticed the reasons why certain types of equipment were introduced; nor have they drawn attention to the many obvious drawbacks or advantages of constructional details which force themselves upon one's notice if the subject is studied from the point of view of the man who wore the armour and had to fight in it.