There have been many modern advances in the past 100 years in weapons and armoured transport, although this has had a great affect on the time taken to get the soldier into action and the effectiveness of his weapons on his target when he reaches it. The burden he has to carry once he has to leave his ARV or helicopter has hardly changed at around 70lbs (the weight of a suite of armour). This site will first look at the load caring equipment the soldier used to carry this burden into combat. The development of mills webbing pattern equipment and associated weapons and accoutrements used buy theBritish and commonwealth forces from the end of WW2 and on into Korea, Malaya, and ending with the Falklands War with the 58 pattern webbing. Being replaced in the 1990s buy PLCE 1990 pattern nylon DPM equipment, Which bought to an end over 80 years of issue of woven webbing equipment to British forces
I have been collecting various items of militaria for over 30-years concentrating mainly on British army equipment used in both world wars. I have a particular interest in jungle related items, as my farther Sergeant Terence Evans served with the British Army from 1957-1967 seeing service in Malaya from 1958-1960. This covered a period of the use of 37 pattern 44 pattern and 58-pattern webbing and the last reminisce 0f the 1908 pattern equipment with its large pack. This period also so the end of the .303 Lee Enfield rifle after 60 years of stalwart service to the British and empire soldier around the world being replaced buy the SLR L1A1 7.62 rifle.
I also intend to expand the site to cover major items of standard issue equipment
issued though out the 20th century from WW1onwards to the British soldier. And also how to spot some of the
reproduction and fake items on the market including P1908 08-pattern items.
If you have any pictures or other information you think could enhance the site, you can contact me at tjje@fsmail.net
