RUSSIA’S SKI TROOPS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 1 September 1942, Page 1

RUSSIA’S SKI TROOPS

SPECIAL GLOVES FROM BRITISH COWHIDE Thousands of pairs of white leather gloves for Russia’s ski troops are being made in Britain under the direction of lour Czechs who owned Europe's biggest glove factory when the Nazis marched on Prague. The gloves are made from British cow “belly’’ skins v hich in the natural colour is buff, but is treated with egg yolks to produce the white camouflaged effect. The Czech manufacturers were established in Prague in 1882. In peace-time they produced from 40,000 to 50.000 dozen pairs a year of all kinds of leather gloves, such as Nappa. Cape. Persian, suedes, glaces. doeskin and horsehide and fabric gloxes of simplex, duplex, meshed and art silk. The grandfather of the present directors had the finest private collection of gloves in the wofld. They included a pair of Napoleon’s which were the first gloves, as distinct from mittens, ever made, and others worn by King Eduard VII. ex-Empress Zita of Aus-lria-Hungarv. Pope Pius XI and President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia. When exhibiting on the Continent before the war the firm was offered a pair of gloves by Mussolini. They were declined. The directors came to Britain just before the Nazis invaded their country. Starting afresh with little but their experience, the four experts have trained a staff of about 250 British work-peo-ple. To-day. in addition to gloves for Russia’s Arctic garrisons, they are helping the war effort on Britain’s home front with “metal string" gloves for workers turning out shells and guns in the munition factories.