I have 4 Mk2 basic pouches, two dated 1940, one 1942 and one with no legible stamp. The 40' dated ones are in very nice condition one blancoed made by Mattisson Bros Stockport, one mint but with a very faded stamp and both around the same length as my Mk3's which are a 1943 dated M.E.CO. pair that have been washed once, so I'm guessing that they might have marginally shrunken. The 42' dated one and the one with an illegible stamp are both about the same length, and about 1/2 an inch shorter than the 40' dated Mk2's and the Mk3's, thus more the standard (or so I thought) Mk2 size.
I know that factories varied in exact measurements but it is interesting as it seems that before the introduction of Mk3's and their standard minimum size, it didn't seem to matter how long or short Mk2's were (give or take about half an inch), seen as they were only introduced to fix the issue of the belt hook position on the Mk1's. If you look at examples of the Mk1 on karkeeweb you can see the same size variation between them also.
I know this is probably all just boring drivel but I just thought I'd share my thoughts and observations in case somebody had ever wondered or observed the same thing.
