My small UK collection.

As you may have nticed my main focus is on Belgian equipment but I have a few UK pieces,  here are some 58 pattern stuff








(yes I know the bayonet scabbard is incorrect)

A couple of Mk 6 Ballistic Nylon (not as is so often quoted Kelvar!)

And 58 Pattern with SMG pouches

A few odds and sods

Facelet and mask frame for NBC kit (lives inside lid of late 58 Pattern gas mask case

s6 respirator

Anti fog, self inject pen with tablets, Fullers Earth, and Talc.

Detecing papers and cleaning pads

S6 rigged to take Clansman microphone




poor image but mk4 Turtle helmet with Mk5 liner and early 58 Pattern canvas respirator bag.

Some more nice toys!

Smock Combat Tropical Jungle DPM

Smock, Combat.

Trousers Combat Temperate DPM

Trousers men's Waterproof PVC

m43 style Ski patrol crap hat.

Parka Man's Cold Weather

Trousers Combat (Windproof Arctic)

Smock man's Combat 1968 Pattern

Trousers Combat Tropical Jungle DPM. (label is so faded it is not worth a photo....)

And this one I am not sure about.  The label, zip fasteners are all wrong for a service issue 59 Dennison,  but I do not believe it to be a fake/ reproduction.  From what I have been told of it's provenance, it is more likely to be a contemporary personal purchase from a contractor who was making the much loved smocks after they became a service issue item.




Note the label reads Dennison the correct spelling of Major Dennison who invented this pattern smock, rather than the normal Army mis-spelling Denison.

https://paradata.org.uk/articles/history-and-demise-denison-smock-1

Antarmike wrote:And this one I am not sure about.  The label, zip fasteners are all wrong for a service issue 59 Dennison,  but I do not believe it to be a fake/ reproduction.  From what I have been told of it's provenance, it is more likely to be a contemporary personal purchase from a contractor who was making the much loved smocks after they became a service issue item.




Note the label reads Dennison the correct spelling of Major Dennison who invented this pattern smock, rather than the normal Army mis-spelling Denison.

https://paradata.org.uk/articles/history-and-demise-denison-smock-1

There were 2 or 3 different firms making these,all pretty much identical except for the labels,most notably Silvermans of whom I THINK still do them.

Had a few over the years and as said,all been identical other than the label. One from memory had a green plastic/vinyl label.

Antarmike wrote:Smock, Combat.

I have a similar smock made by Bernard Uniforms LTD. NSN 8415-99-130-5882.

I've always wondered whether this was a ''DPM smock'' or a ''Pattern 1984''. What units were issued with this type smock and what pattern DPM is it?

I'm assuming your smock has all the stuff that's on the Pattern 1984; velcro to cuffs, drawstrings to waist and bottom and a pencil pocket on the right shoulder?

fariz wrote:
I have a similar smock made by Bernard Uniforms LTD. NSN 8415-99-130-5882.

I've always wondered whether this was a ''DPM smock'' or a ''Pattern 1984''. What units were issued with this type smock and what pattern DPM is it?

I'm assuming your smock has all the stuff that's on the Pattern 1984; velcro to cuffs, drawstrings to waist and bottom and a pencil pocket on the right shoulder?

It has pen pocket on right sleeve

Bot ot does mot have any velcro, anywhere.  The sleeves are buttoned, with a windproof fabric gusset



Separate hood buttons on. With draw cord.



Draw cords to waist and bottom hem.

Antarmike wrote:And 58 Pattern with SMG pouches

Apparently, Imperial Stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire prefer those short magazines in their blasters, too. ;-)

Fallschirmwomble wrote:

Antarmike wrote:And 58 Pattern with SMG pouches

Apparently, Imperial Stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire prefer those short magazines in their blasters, too. ;-)

Yes, Stormtroopers do prefer a short magazine, but it is suggested they may only have held 5 rounds. not ten.

During the filming of starwars films blanks were fired, because it was easier to determine where to dub in laser/ lightbeams by overlaying the "light" over a blank discharge.

There are several frames in which ejected blank shell cases have been left in the film after a failure to notice them and edit them out.  

Nice stuff! Thanks for shareing.

Antarmike wrote:A few odds and sods

I LOVE grenades!

I'm familiar with the L2 (left) and the rubber training version (centre) (NOT practice but used with a special fuse for use on exercises). If you encounter a matt light blue "spoon" that has 6(?) raised studs on the top surface, that'd be the correct one for the training grenade. We used to call them "Chorley Grenades" but that's probably a misnomer. (And ALL British grenades are probably made at Chorley, Lancashire!)

The one on the right: is that the current shebang (pardon the deliberate pun!) that's called something like a L110 or L115?

Fariz wrote:I've always wondered whether this was a ''DPM smock'' or a ''Pattern 1984''. What units were issued with this type smock and what pattern DPM is it?

Fariz, the jacket is a Pattern 1968, often considered to be the best version.

EVERYONE was issued these jackets. If you were SAS or Para, you'd be issued it as a candidate/recruit but would ALSO be issued a Windproof/Smock upon qualifiying. Then you'd NEVER EVER wear it EVER again! We used to cut up the jacket to make helmet covers. It only became a problem when we left service and were billed for an item that was long forgotten about...


As I understand it, there's the original DPM version which was a 1960 jacket but made in DPM fabric (often called a "Pattern 1966"?), this "Pattern 1968", a "Pattern 1984" (which wasn't popular and finally a "Pattern 1994" (or 1995) which was part of the "Soldier 95" rebranding thing the MoD did. Within each pattern, there are variations - but that level of knowledge is mostly beyond my knowledge. The next paragraph illustrates my level of knowledge...


I had a girlfriend who was a WRAC. The amount of kit she was issued was phenomenal! She had the 1984 jacket and it was the first time I'd seen it. Obviously different to anything I saw, I mistook it as WOMEN'S issue. And so when I later saw male soldiers wearing them, I was giggling that they were transvestites, thanks to their storeman! They (indignantly) didn't get the joke.

Yeah, turns out that the joke was on me...

Are there any good quality published sources that illustrate the different patterns/types of DPM smocks and trousers? While I don't actively collect them, I seem to have accumulated quite a few different types over the years, and it would be nice to know exactly what I have.

Wolverine wrote:Are there any good quality published sources that illustrate the different patterns/types of DPM smocks and trousers? While I don't actively collect them, I seem to have accumulated quite a few different types over the years, and it would be nice to know exactly what I have.

All I can tell you is that, in the very early 1990s, I saw an article in a magazine like "Military Illustrated" (?) where they had an article explaining the 7 (?) different variants of Desert DPM by that time. It might be worth checking out any backnumbers.

Or are you meaning the variations in DPM clothing, eg: '84 Patt SAS Windproof which was as per the previous version but had a pocket for the FFD on the right tricep?

I have a strange '94 DesDPM shirt with epaulettes at each shoulder - and a third on the sternum!