British Army Kit Layouts.

[tynesideirish]

Here's a couple of pictures from my (really) dark days at Depot Para, Browning Barracks, Aldershot in 1986. An unwanted return to bed blocks and locker layouts, as a pad this nearly did my head in. I had last did these on my very last full day of training at DQD, Bassingbourne Barracks, Royston in 1982. I was a L/Cpl and had transfered and was put in a recruit platoon at week 11 (I think). Hence the stripe and (as yet) no wings on the uniform items in the cupboard.

Meanwhile my previous Company, X Coy, 1RRF was doing an exercise in Wadi Rum in Jordan, running around in the footsteps of my hero T.E Lawrence.

"Oh whata mistaka to maka"

[tynesideirish]

second image:

[leigh kitchen]

Ah, the good old days - & good luck to you mate, X Coy was excitement enough for me with 2 feet on the ground without lobbng myself out of perfectly servicable aircraft.

My old bedspace of the 1970's is now occupied by a variety of different flavours of asylum seeker, & the room are carpeted - gone are the days when I stomped to attention & saluted standing on a bedside mat on a hghly polished floor, shot across the floor & nearly took out the Company Commander.

Just dawned on me I owe you a batch of Medal News - I'll sort them out as freebies with some NI pamphlets & a poster or 2. Sorry about that - down to a harridan wife & a disorganised lifestyle.........

[Iank]

Hi Leigh,

Here is a photo of the previous occupant of your room in Gibraltar.

George Kitchen Welsh Guards

[leigh kitchen]

Hi Leigh,

Here is a photo of the previous occupant of your room in Gibraltar.

George Kitchen Welsh Guards

Hey, great - we did actually live in the same room at South Barracks Gibralter, 3 or 4 decades apart.

Looks like a sun helmet on display there, with the Welsh Guards pugaree badge on red felt backing?

[Iank]

Hey, great - we did actually live in the same room at South Barracks Gibralter, 3 or 4 decades apart.

Looks like a sun helmet on display there, with the Welsh Guards pugaree badge on red felt backing?

According to his paybook he was there from 22/4/39 to 16/11/39.

We also have a newspaper cutting of the Welsh Guards marching across Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in the back ground on their way to Waterloo Station. They are wearing sun helmets and have what look like cotton bags attached to their kit on the left hand side.

[leigh kitchen]

According to his paybook he was there from 22/4/39 to 16/11/39.

We also have a newspaper cutting of the Welsh Guards marching across Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in the back ground on their way to Waterloo Station. They are wearing sun helmets and have what look like cotton bags attached to their kit on the left hand side.

The cotton bags - could they contain bearskins?

[Iank]

More like peaked caps going by the shape.

I tried to send the cutting but it was rejected as being too big.

I'll consult my technical advisers.

Regards

Ian

[William1]

The kit layout in the first post is prewar. Full dress kit, abolished at the outbreak of war, is visible; the 08 pouches lack the Sept 14 modification; and everything is neatly numbered, a practice which pretty well disappeared early on in the war.

It's interesting to see how the contents of the holdall and their placing varies with the years.

W.

[tynesideirish]

I've tried checking "ancestry" re "4387 Grenadier Guards", no joy.

Leigh, Probably help if you searched under his unit, Coldstream Guards ;)

[leigh kitchen]

I can't remember if that was a typo - or if I did spend hours trawling for the wrong man in the wrong regiment............

[leigh kitchen]

A couple of photos from "G", who visits GMIC occassionally - 3rd Bn Grenadier Guards:

[leigh kitchen]

Guards by the look of it - post 1915 as a steel hekmet is included:

[leigh kitchen]

From "The Standing Orders Of The Forty-Eighth Northamptonshire Miltia By Leutenant-Colonel Lord Burghley" circa 1855:

[leigh kitchen]

Visible in pthe photo in post no. 29 is a bedplate, a small (usually brass) metal plate stamped with a soldier's name & other details & displayed in his bedspace.

They identified the resident of that bedspace, sometimes they were fitted with a sliding plate to indicate the words "DUTY" or "OFF DUTY" or the word "DUTY" would be stamped on the back.

This one, unused, is to The Northumberland Fusiliers, & assuming that it's genuine ( purchased in the late 1970's) it pre-dates the regiments change of title to The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.

[leigh kitchen]

This one of tin with a card insert, is to a Royal Engineer of WWII:

Edited January 25, 2011 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

Royal Fusiliers Bedplate:

[leigh kitchen]

Bedplate of The Green Howards.

"The Green Howards" (properly "The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment)", became the regiment's title on 1/1/1921, prior to that it had been "Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)"

& "The Green Howards" was a nickname.

This plate has the word "DUTY" lightly stamped on the back.

It bears the manufacturer's mark "F.NARBOROUGH BIRMINGHAM"