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British officer in the First World War.

A trench coat or trenchcoat is a raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton drill or poplin, wool gabardine, or leather. It generally has a removable insulated lining, and it is usually knee-length.

History[link]

A lined trench coat being modeled in Eastern Germany, 1953.

The trench coat was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War. Invention of the trench coat is claimed by both Burberry and Aquascutum, with Aquascutum's claim dating back to the 1850s. Thomas Burberry, the inventor of gabardine fabric, submitted a design for an army officer's raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901.^[1][2]

The trench coat became an optional item of dress in the British Army, and was obtained by private purchase by officers and Warrant Officers Class I who were under no obligation to own them.^[3] No other ranks were permitted to wear them. Another optional item was the British Warm, a wool coat similar to the greatcoat that was shorter in length, also worn by British officers and Warrant Officers Class I as an optional piece.

During the First World War, the design of the trenchcoat was modified to include shoulder straps and D-rings. The shoulder straps were for the attachment of epaulettes or other rank insignia; There is a popular myth that the D-ring was for the attachment of hand grenades. The ring was originally for map cases and swords or other equipment to the belt. This latter pattern was dubbed "trench coat" by the soldiers in the front line. Many veterans returning to civilian life kept the coats that became fashionable for both men and women.

During the Second World War, officers of the United Kingdom continued to use the trench coat on the battlefield in inclement weather. Other nations also developed trench coat style jackets, notably the United States and Soviet Union, and other armies of continental Europe such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland (and are often seen in war zone photographs in the 1939-40 era, even worn by troops on the attack), although as the war progressed, in the field shorter "field jackets" became more popular, including garments such as the Denison smock used by British commandos, paratroopers, and snipers and the M1941/M1943 field jackets used by the US Army. These garments were shorter and more practical than the trench coat, and as such they allowed the wearer to be more mobile.^[4]

A typical trench coat by this period was a ten-buttoned, double-breasted long coat made with tan, khaki, beige, or black fabric. Trench coats often have cuff straps on the raglan sleeves, shoulder straps and a belt. The trench coat was typically worn as a windbreaker or as a rain jacket, and not for protection from the cold in winter or snowy conditions.

Post-1945[link]

Trench coats have remained fashionable in the decades following World War II. Their original role as part of an army officer's uniform lent the trench coat a businesslike respectability, whilst fictional heroes as diverse as the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, Castiel, Columbo, Dick Tracy, Mike Hammer, the Crow, the Phantom, Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine from Casablanca^[5], and Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau kept the coat in the public eye. Usually, a fedora or an ushanka (during colder weather) was also worn. In the 1960s, some Mods wore trench coats as fashionable overcoats, as an alternative to the fishtail parka or crombie (clothing).

The heavy metal and Goth fashion trend of black oilcloth dusters are usually referred to as trench coats.^[6] Early media reports of the Columbine High School massacre initially associated the perpetrators (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) with members of the "Trenchcoat Mafia," a group of outcasts who allegedly wore conspicuous black Australian oilcloth dusters. Both shooters wore trench coats on the day of the massacre. In the copycat W. R. Myers High School shooting days later, it was rumored the shooter had worn a trench coat. In the wake of these incidents, several schools forbade students to wear trench coats, on the grounds that the long coats could be used to conceal weapons.

See also[link]

• Coat
• Duster
• Trench coats in popular culture

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Foulkes, Nick The Trench Book 2007 Assouline

Christopher Bailey is a lecturer of English at the University of Brighton and is an occasional screenwriter for television.

He wrote the script for the Doctor Who serial Kinda in 1982. This script drew heavily on his own Buddhist faith and incorporated classic Buddhist terms such as dukkha, panna, karuna, devaloka and Mara — indeed, "the Mara" was the name of the villain of the piece.

The strength of his script led to Bailey writing a second story for Doctor Who in 1983. This serial, Snakedance, was a sequel to Kinda. New script editor Eric Saward requested that Bailey devise another story idea, but neither the submitted outline for May Time (later renamed Manwatch) for the show's twenty first season, nor the revised version of the submission for the twenty second, retitled The Children of Seth, were taken further. As a result, the two Mara scripts were Bailey's final broadcast work for both Doctor Who and television in general and he returned to a career in academia. The Children of Seth has since been adapted for audio by Big Finish.

External links[link]

• Christopher Bailey at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2012)

Mr. Porter
Denaun Porter performing as Eminem's hypeman at Irish music festival Oxegen 2010
Background information
Birth name	Denaun Porter
Also known as	Kon Artis
Born	(1978-12-07) December 7, 1978 (age 33)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, producer, singer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Shady, Shaman, My Own Planet
Associated acts	50 Cent, Bad Meets Evil, Busta Rhymes, D12, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Snoop Dogg
Website	myownplanetent.com

Denaun Porter (born December 7, 1978), also known as Denaun and Mr. Porter, is an American rapper and record producer.

Career[link]

Porter was an original member of the Detroit hip hop group D12.

Throughout his career he has both produced and performed vocally, producing songs for many notable artists such as Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent (produced the song "P.I.M.P.").^[1]

Denaun is Eminem's current hype man after the death of D12 band member Proof.

Porter was a co-executive producer, with Eminem, for Bad Meets Evil's debut album Hell: The Sequel. He also has a cameo appearance in their music video "Fast Lane" as well as "Forever" by Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem, and "No Love" by Eminem and Lil Wayne.

Denaun is planning to release his debut studio album The Memo in 2012.^[2]

On March 24, 2012, Porter announced through Twitter that he had left D12. He said that he wanted to focus on being a solo artist, but clarified that he holds no animosity toward other members of the group.^[3]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• The Memo (2012)

Collaboration albums[link]

• Devil's Night (with D12) (2001)
• D12 World (with D12) (2004)

Mixtapes[link]

• Po Folks (as Kon Artis) (2003)

Guest appearances[link]

References[link]