I;n WWI, the doughboys wore puttees, which in their case was a piece of olive drab
woolen cloth about four inches wide and about a yard long that was wrapped about
the leg atarting just above the ankle, ending just below the knee. It was a miserble
nuisance trying to get the spiral just right, and have it end snug enough it wouldn't come
loose. Then in the twenties there were a lot of motorcycle policement that had moulded
thick leather puttees that covered the lower leg. I suspect that in the beginning they were
intended to keep pant cuffs from getting caught in the chain.

puttee
n.
5Hindi paPPj, bandage < Sans paPPika < paPPa, strip of cloth6 a covering for the lower leg, in the form of a cloth or leather gaiter or a cloth strip wound spirally