The 1937 pattern small pack and it's contents.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Alloy razor dated 1943. I have another pack made up of variant items

[Adrian Stevenson]

Soft clothing was carried in the large compartment nearest the soldiers back. This made the pack more comfortable to carry


Here is the issue pullover jumper in light khaki wool.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Label to the pullover.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Here are the issue underpants carried in the pack.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Date to the pants.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Carried rolled and folded in the top of the pack is the ponch or groundsheet. Shown here is the poncho, which is dated 1944. The ground sheet is a smaller item but made from the same type of rubberised fabric.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Also carried would be the issue socks, but I do not have a photo of these.

Here is the final item carried, the emergency ration. More on this in a future thread; so watch this space

Other personal items were also carried in the entrenching tool holder.

I hope that you have found this thread interesting and informative?

Cheers, Ade.

[Simon O.]

Very interesting Adrian. BTW, what markings are on the base of brown the cup?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Simon, the brown mugs vary from maker to maker. For the past 10 years there have been thouands upon thousands of these on the market, but all maker marked & dated 1952 in white. They used to be 50p each but now the dealers have bumped the price up to several pounds I guess production was stepped up for the Korean War? Always check for any chip damage which might disguise this date.

Many mugs are totally unmarked. The best way to check for a wartime or wartime style mug is to look at the construction. On my photo you can see the three marks to the base of the mug where it sat in the oven to bake on the finish. This leaves three small dimples to the enamel. The handle is another feature to look at. Wartime handles are a more simple shape; post war production have a more rounded look to them and are different on how they attatch to the body of the vessel. Lez has one WW2 example in her collection which she uses at shows as it holds more than a pint! I will have to photograph it.

Cheers, Ade.

[ROBB]

Wow Ade you cerainly seem to have one of everything in your collection .Happy St Georges Day ,Rob

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks Rob and Happy St.Georges Day to you too


My collection has been put together over the last 25 years or so, through careful buying and years of self denial! (Other than militaria, that is )

Cheers, Ade.

[MH184]

This is the stuff Ade great to see, I love it !!!!


It's so funny how the mess tins haven't changed !!! We even had some issued during 'basic' dated in the late 1940's and early 1950's.....with RAF on them !!!!! Wrapped in brown grease proof paper they were ! I remember because I used the one's I had from the TA and the ones issued in the regular army I 'T' cutted for my bed block inspections, Brasso worked as well, if not better, then you T cutted them to give them a slight sheen. (Oh the Wilko's yellow dusters I got through, the dish cloth white ones worked better though)

Come on Ade, I want to see all your brown tins of 'foot powder' etc.

The thing is while we all collect TR militaria, we forget about the British items in this country ! It's now probably more rare in certain area's than the German stuff !!!

Please show us more Ade, it's an education

Kind regards,

Marcus

PS Sorry about the memories.......no will listen in our household

[Tony Farrell]

Well put together display there Ade. I briefly got in to this stuff a few years ago before I went to Normandy for the 50th - but not quite up to kecks & razors level.

It's interesting how much wartime-dated stuff was still being issued until relatively recently: field dressings, mess tins, anti-dim compound. I remember bulling the crap out of some wartime-dated mess tins with Solvol Autosol. A gleaming work of art was the result, but useless for cooking in.

There used to be a shop in Oxford - W.S. Surplus & Supplies. He had tons of wartime-dated stuff: towels, wash bags, soap tins etc. He's long gone now, but I regularly had stuff off him. Anyhow, what's next - Large Pack & Greatcoat? Go on... you know you want to.

[Rick Research]

I find this sort of stuff fascinating-- "ordinary everyday items" issued in the millions upon millions are often the VERY items nobody saved, nobody wanted...

and are the hardest to FIND.

I've got my uncle's tinned pound cake etc up in the attic from VietNam 37 years old... what got saved was the stuff put aside as inedible THEN. Num num, wonder what it tastes like NOW? Just imagine what 60 year old Bully Beef must be like!

[Tony Farrell]

A friend of mine still has his grandfather's Christmas tin from the Great War - complete: baccy & chocolate! Two commodoties that were undoubtedly cherished. So much so, that many couldn't bring themselves to scoff the choccy. Bizarre.