British Army webbing equipment c 1952
British Army 1939 pattern webbing equipment consisting of a waist belt with brass sliders and hook and eye fasters, cross shoulder straps and two ammunition pouches. The pouches have date stamp annotation 1943. This assembly represents the basic form of web equipment worn in the field by all servicemen. For waist size adjustment, the web belt has brass ends with hooks at top and bottom which fit into small pouches (the pouches can be seen on the reverse of the belt). See also picture #11981 The ammunition pouches are attached to the belt with the same hook arrangement. The cross belts with riveted brass ends provide the upper support for the pouch, attached via a pouch webbing loop to brass buckles at the top of the pouch and affixed to buckles on short angled straps at centre rear of the belt. There were many other pouches that could be attached to this basic form of webbing, e.g. revolver holster, compass and binocular pouches, water bottle carriers etc. This webbing equipment is in what may be termed its 'raw' state. On issue it was the norm that the webbing would be blancoed, with the standard colour in 1944 designated as KG3. Initially blanco was provided in circular tablet form, of the same size as shoe polish tins, and it was applied with water using a stippling or nailfile size brush. Ultimately blanco, in various colours, was produced and used in the same way as shoe polish. The belt has a handwritten annotation in red 'D Weiss' and the ammunition pouches a stamped mark 1943. One of the pouches also has a handwritten annotation 'K G MacLean' [A map case of the same webbing pattern is at picture #12032]
Dimensions: Ammunition pouch Height 360mm - Width 350mm depth 50 mm ; belt max Length 1m