British Soldier Web Equipment Gear WW1 & WWII by Martin Brayley

Table of Contents

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 found the British Army - like those of the other combatant nations - unready in many respects for a new age of warfare. However, the British led the world in the personal equipment worn by the infantryman: the belts, pouches and packs that enabled the 'Tommy' to carry on the battlefield his ammunition, rations, and other necessities such as a waterbottle and entrenching tool.

This was due to the inventiveness of an American officer named Anson Mills, and the skills and energy of the company created to produce his designs, including the 1908 equipment set, made in woven cotton web. In the years that followed, the breakneck pace of military innovation rapidly increased the soldier's burdens and left the designers of his 'webbing' struggling to catch up.

By the outbreak of World War II the British infantry had new 1937 pattern equipment, whose design reflected a new generation of weapons and tactics. This in its turn proved unequal to the special demands of war in the jungles of the Far East, so 1944 saw yet another set of kit, again designed on the latest scientific principles.

In this book the author/ photographer offers for collectors and students of militaria - for the first time, and in full colour - a detailed review of these infantry equipments, which spanned the British soldier's combat experience throughout the first half of the 20th century and beyond.