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Equipment from the Malayan Emergency |
field pack |
basic pouch |
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web belt <<< water bottle in case |
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British Pattern 1944 Web Equipment
was designed to replace the clumsy,
noisy and heavy Pattern 1937 Equipment which was entirely unsuitable for
jungle or tropical conditions. The Pattern 1944 was lighter (using
mostly light alloy instead of brass fittings) and more comfortable, as
well as being quicker drying and resistant to rotting. It was introduced
too late to see general service in the Second World War, and was not
manufactured or issued in Australia. Australian
troops serving with British forces in Malaya during the 1950s were,
however, issued with it.
The pocket in the back of the water bottle carrier was used to store a Hexamine stove and fuel tablets. Water sterilising tablets were issued, but were usually carried in a Basic Pouch. Aluminium water bottles were originally issued with aluminium screw caps, which were bright and conspicuous in jungle conditions, and squeaked loudly when unscrewed. They were therefore quickly replaced with the rubber caps seen on these bottles The left hand Pattern 1944 Basic Pouch was identical to the right, but had a pair of webbing loops on its left hand side to take the No 4, 5 or 7 bayonet. |
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Above
The Folding Can Opener
The P38
Story by Maj. Renita Foster
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| Above, right Cup & saucer with Rising Sun General Service badge as used in army canteens. | |
| Right. RAAF eggcup |
for full story|
Korean War Equipment |
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| American pattern Field packs; photo left & centre.
It
was during the Korean War that field packs started to get sophisticated.
This shows the start of the gradual change from the conservative British
designs to the more adventurous designs coming from the USA.
M-1951 armoured vest; photo right. The
Korean War saw the first use of modern armoured, or ballistic, vests.
Designed by the US Marine Corps, these vests contained plates of bonded
fibreglass armour. Capable of stopping pistol bullets but not rifle or
machine-gun bullets, the vests were intended to protect the wearer from
grenade and shell fragments. The vest was also able to stop bayonet
thrusts. The Australian battalions received limited quantities of
armoured vests late in the war and used them to outfit the patrols and
raiding parties that ventured out into |
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Equipment from the Viet Nam era. |
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This
vital piece of equipment was "home" to the Vietnam era Digger.
He called it a "hutchie" (hootchie).
It was a waterproof sheet that allowed him to quickly erect a 1 man tent. 2 (or more) could be clipped together to make shelter for 2 (or more) Diggers. It doubled as an easily erected sun shade and has many times been used by the Webmaster as a water trap during monsoonal rain in areas where ground water is suspect and resupply not available. |
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In the mid 1950s this new
style rain coat was introduced. The whole thing could be scrunched up
and pushed into it's own pocket to make it easy to carry and pack.
They stayed on issue well into the 1970s. The camouflage coloring was particularly good as when it got wet it took on the appearance of wet vegetation. |
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It is hard to
see what is what in this photo but all that jumble will be up and on the
Diggers back in the flash of an eye if he is told to 'saddle up'.
Note the high number of water bottles. |
It might sound counter-productive to go out and buy a non-issue frame that adds to the weight you have to carry but most soldiers did so as a good frame lessens the burden by putting the stress points in the correct places. This is one popular design. |
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In Viet Nam
and Malaysia the troops were forbidden to use ground water as the people
who tend the rubber plantations use arsenic as a control method and so
the arsenic level in streams is well above safety levels.
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This is the "big pack" carried by all combat troops on patrol in SVN. It was used to carry all the Digger's equipment. It was attached with quick release clips so that on contact with the enemy packs could be dropped, leaving only the basic webbing and bum pack. This allowed quick movement. (See below) |
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1960s pattern web belt |
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The metal frame to carry
back-packs was an American innovation from the Vietnam war.
The effect was to more evenly and more effectively spread the load-weight across the back and shoulders. It also allowed the whole pack to be treated as one single item and quickly swung onto the back and/or just as quickly discarded in a "Contact" situation. The "fighting" parts of webbing (ammo pouches, at least one water bottle, shell dressing etc called "basic webbing) ) were NOT attached to the metal frame but were carried on the web belt. This meant that a soldier could discard his pack and still have all the gear needed to fight effectively. |
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The green plastic water container circa1960 |
Belt buckle, web belt c.1965 |
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| Webbing during the Vietnam era was worn in two sections. Shown is "basic webbing", 1 bum pack containing some rations, 2 water-bottles, 2 ammo pouches. Also normally attached to this would be a shell dressing. As well there was a large back pack, bedding roll, extra water bottles all on an easily dropped section. When a "contact" occurred the Diggers would drop their large packs and move forward wearing only the "fighting" or "basic" webbing. (See "big" pack above). | |
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Standard 2oz tin of foot powder as issued to troops |
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The ubiquitous hexi-stove.
Shown are the folding frame stove, made out of light pressed metal. It
was exactly the correct size to enclose a packet of heximine fuel blocks
that came in the box shown. When issued the stove and fuel box came in
the plastic wrap shown above left.
Fuel was resupplied as required and the frame would last up to 6 months, depending on the conditions. |
| Water sterilizing kit. Ground
water as highly suspect in all areas of SE Asia and only rainwater
caught by the troops themselves was considered "safe".
If ground water was to be used (in many areas it was totally banned because of the use of arsenic in rubber plantations) it had to be sterilized. The resultant water had a foul taste but would not kill you. |
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Current pattern equipment |
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A fair sized market has grown up supplying troops and wannabees with military equipment. Not everything shown here is necessarily standard Army issue. |
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Left. Basic webbing, circa
1995
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Steyr pouch |
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| Minimi Pouch | Minimi 'panic' pouch | Leg bag | Map case closed | Map case open |
| Angle head torch | Cup and dixies | heximine stove | 2 litre water bladder |
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All hooked up and ready to go. From left to right: Steyr magazine pouch, minimi pouch, canteen pouch with external hexi-stove carrier, butt-pack, platoon medical kit, and Steyr magazine pouch. Field Dressing pouch on left shoulder strap, slide-on daypack on rear suspenders. |
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All that
equipment has to go somewhere and the only place available is on the
Digger's back. For a full accounting of where it all goes
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| L to R: Face camouflage paint, insect repellant, foot & body powder, grenade container |
