Item of the Month From Andrew Lingard

The initial issue 1944 webbing was first produced in 1945 all dyed green in production although you can find trial pieces in khaki dated 1944. All these photos show the first pattern 1944 webbing. The second issue had improvements on the initial issue items usually 1960s dated.

The 1944 pattern webbing was issued at the end of WW2 but didn't see any combat use. The first combat use was during the Korean war followed by the Malayan emergency and Borneo. It never fully replaced the 1937 patten which carried on in Europe. Whereas the 1944 pattern saw action in the jungle environment and was often labelled 'jungle webbing'.

The 1944 pattern webbing caried on through the 1960s often being mixed in with the 1958 pattern webbing, particularly the water bottle sets.