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Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War
Not everything about wool is warm and fuzzy.
Wool, for millennia the cold climate textile fiber, has a long relationship to war, both in terms of supporting it and causing it. Wool’s strategic value in wartime, a position it gained over centuries, and contrived shortages of same in the 20th century, have helped drive consumers’ transition to the synthetic fibers that have enabled fast fashion, and as both fiber and cloth are global contemporary pollutants.
Fleeced argues that the 19th century advent of southern hemisphere large scale sheep pastoralism and northern hemisphere industrialization of the woolen textile industry allowed - at least in part - the huge armies of the 20th century to exist. World War I represented a fundamental shift in the scale of armies and the kind of wars they fought. Demand for wool to outfit the tens of millions of men and women involved in fighting the war or supporting those who did grew way beyond what could be accommodated by any nation’s normal supply. The contrived wool shortages of this war had a lasting impact - nations subject to supply chain difficulties began the search for substitutes that led first to the semi-synthetic rayon, and ultimately to the plastic fibers such as polyester and acrylic that dominate today’s world of fast fashion.
Each chapter of Fleeced begins with a surprising object, document or image that takes us into this fascinating and previously untold history. Change is not necessarily progress.
Fleeced explains how competition for wool in wartime helped create our current unsustainable and environmentally disastrous reliance on petrochemical fibers.
Wool, for millennia the cold climate textile fiber, has a long relationship to war, both in terms of supporting it and causing it. Wool’s strategic value in wartime, a position it gained over centuries, and contrived shortages of same in the 20th century, have helped drive consumers’ transition to the synthetic fibers that have enabled fast fashion, and as both fiber and cloth are global contemporary pollutants.
Fleeced argues that the 19th century advent of southern hemisphere large scale sheep pastoralism and northern hemisphere industrialization of the woolen textile industry allowed - at least in part - the huge armies of the 20th century to exist. World War I represented a fundamental shift in the scale of armies and the kind of wars they fought. Demand for wool to outfit the tens of millions of men and women involved in fighting the war or supporting those who did grew way beyond what could be accommodated by any nation’s normal supply. The contrived wool shortages of this war had a lasting impact - nations subject to supply chain difficulties began the search for substitutes that led first to the semi-synthetic rayon, and ultimately to the plastic fibers such as polyester and acrylic that dominate today’s world of fast fashion.
Each chapter of Fleeced begins with a surprising object, document or image that takes us into this fascinating and previously untold history. Change is not necessarily progress.
Fleeced explains how competition for wool in wartime helped create our current unsustainable and environmentally disastrous reliance on petrochemical fibers.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2025
The result of over a decade of research and site visits, Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War traces the development of wool as a commodity, sourced through large scale sheep pastorial-ism, to demonstrate its impact on the ways wars could be fought even though its own success led to environmentally damaging alternatives.
Fitzsimons and Shaw provide the full history, detailing the beginnings of the wool trade and how it shifted from Spain to Britain to United States and finally to Australia. They explain how the wool goes from animal product through an industrial process to become clothing or other textiles. Wool keeps its wearers warm even when wet, and can be re-used numerous times. While the American Civil War relied some on wool, it is World War I that is the central pivot point of the book.
Fitzsimons and Shaw argue that wool made the large armies possible, as they could be outfitted with many wool made equipment such as uniforms, coats, hats and blankets. As with other aspects of that conflict, Britain was largely in control of the supply, and Germany was forced to come up with alternatives where their stock pile was used up, this lead to the the creation of rayon and other synthetic fibers. And also, some more short lived more desperate alternatives like paper clothing.
And to be clear, the authors argue this is not the only reason for the growth of large armies, but it certainly was an important component to soldier health when in extended exposure to the elements.
It is very much a commodity, or industrial supply chain focused work, but demonstrates how the capitalistic focused enterprises of the 19th century have fueled our more recent fast fashion and environmental insecurity.
Recommended to readers of commodity histories, the textile industry or the military industrial complex.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Fitzsimons and Shaw provide the full history, detailing the beginnings of the wool trade and how it shifted from Spain to Britain to United States and finally to Australia. They explain how the wool goes from animal product through an industrial process to become clothing or other textiles. Wool keeps its wearers warm even when wet, and can be re-used numerous times. While the American Civil War relied some on wool, it is World War I that is the central pivot point of the book.
Fitzsimons and Shaw argue that wool made the large armies possible, as they could be outfitted with many wool made equipment such as uniforms, coats, hats and blankets. As with other aspects of that conflict, Britain was largely in control of the supply, and Germany was forced to come up with alternatives where their stock pile was used up, this lead to the the creation of rayon and other synthetic fibers. And also, some more short lived more desperate alternatives like paper clothing.
And to be clear, the authors argue this is not the only reason for the growth of large armies, but it certainly was an important component to soldier health when in extended exposure to the elements.
It is very much a commodity, or industrial supply chain focused work, but demonstrates how the capitalistic focused enterprises of the 19th century have fueled our more recent fast fashion and environmental insecurity.
Recommended to readers of commodity histories, the textile industry or the military industrial complex.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
August 17, 2025
What a gem of a book! I thought I knew a lot about wool until I read this book. The authors have unraveled a fascinating history about the way the use of wool goes beyond jumpers and blankets to being an integral fibre during war time. Who would have thought that wool would be a strategic commodity in all the major wars of the twentieth century.
The book has been written in a way that clearly explains the benefits of wool as a fibre. It combines some wonderful personal stories alongside a big picture of the wool industry world wide.
As well as telling the story of wool Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War creates a clear picture of the way substitutes were developed to counteract supply shortages during war time. Today wool represents only 1% of the global textiles. If you are interested in how wool became a powerhouse of some of the world's economies and its subsequent demise then this book will have you enthralled.
I trust that you will enjoy this book as it offers a story about wool and war that has never been told with such insight and attention to detail.
The book has been written in a way that clearly explains the benefits of wool as a fibre. It combines some wonderful personal stories alongside a big picture of the wool industry world wide.
As well as telling the story of wool Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War creates a clear picture of the way substitutes were developed to counteract supply shortages during war time. Today wool represents only 1% of the global textiles. If you are interested in how wool became a powerhouse of some of the world's economies and its subsequent demise then this book will have you enthralled.
I trust that you will enjoy this book as it offers a story about wool and war that has never been told with such insight and attention to detail.
September 4, 2025
Brilliant book!
Puts Australian history in its world geopolitical context.
Illuminates the Australian Frontier Wars, Australia's place in Britain's WWI and WWII and much else.
Thanks,
Jim
Puts Australian history in its world geopolitical context.
Illuminates the Australian Frontier Wars, Australia's place in Britain's WWI and WWII and much else.
Thanks,
Jim
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews