Khaki cotton drill breeches : Captain R T Ramsay, 3 Australian Division Train, AIF

Khaki cotton drill breeches. A pocket with a diagonal slit opening has been let into the front of both hips. The buttons on the waistband and the concealed fly are all made from brown plastic. An additional protective panel of drill fabric with leaf-like stitching pattern has been sewn onto both inner legs. On the outside of both leg cuffs is a section of eyelets fitted with woven khaki cotton laces. The bottom edge of the cuff and the top of the waistband are trimmed with a thin band of lighter coloured fabric. The breeches have a tag sewn on the back with 'Commonwealth Government CLOTHING FACTORY' embroidered in red cotton. The brown plastic buttons on the front and fly of the breeches has 'COMMONWEALTH' impressed in them, with an image of a crown. The button on the back of the waistband of the breeches has, 'TOWNLY & RADTKE LONDON E.C' impressed on it. This button has been sewn onto the breeches in the same fashion as the other buttons, but with a different thread.

Associated with the service of Rupert Thompson Ramsay, a professional soldier, who was born at Sunbury, Victoria on 1 November 1888. Before the First World War he served as a volunteer for three years with the Victorian Scottish Regiment, one year with the Victorian Rangers and two years with the Corps of Australian Signallers. He later became a permanent member of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) and was a Staff Sergeant Major with the Instructional Staff before he was seconded into the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of war, enlisting on 26 September 1914. Ramsay embarked from Melbourne with the Headquarters of 8 Light Horse Regiment, as Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, from Melbourne on 25 February 1915, aboard HMAT Star of Victoria. On 16 May 1915 he arrived at Gallipoli, where he served for six weeks before being evacuated to Alexandria on 19 June 1915 suffering from a hernia.

He embarked for Australia from Egypt on HMT Honoralo 29 July 1915 and was discharged as medically unfit from the AIF on 2 October. His hernia was later successfully surgically and, passed fit, Ramsay applied for a commission and re-enlisted into the AIF on 23 February 1916. He re-embarked from Melbourne 3 June 1916 as a lieutenant with 3 Divisional Train Australian Army Service Corps (AASC) on board HMAT Persic, arriving at Plymouth, England on 25 July. Ramsay served on the Western Front. In July 1917 he was promoted to captain. After the war he worked in the Demobilisation Department at AIF Headquarters in London. Between July and October 1919 he was granted leave for non military employment and training, and worked at Buckingham Gate Motor Works, London. He served again in the Demobilisation Department from October 1919 until his he return to Australia aboard the Bahia Castillo in April 1920. After the war Ramsay returned to the CMF, eventually being promoted to major.