KD Kwestions

3. Caps - regular green officer's cap or some other malarkey?

Well watching 'It ain't half hot mum' yesterday and ordinary caps seem to be the order of the day with jungle greens so I imagine it would be the same in the med/desert unless you want to sport a fancy Topi!

Fanks.
Is there a tool that you use to put pop studs onto badges / uniform?
Div patch only? no Regimental title or arm of service stripes?
One stud or more than one?

Fanks.
Is there a tool that you use to put pop studs onto badges / uniform?

Needle and thread. You're looking for this sort of thing: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-Silver-Snap-Fa ... d1fee34798
(though I use about 6mm diameter ones.)

Div patch only? no Regimental title or arm of service stripes?

Depends on the unit, but yes, but usually just div patch

One stud or more than one?

I put 4 on my chindit patch and 6 on my corporal stripes.

Fanks.
Is there a tool that you use to put pop studs onto badges / uniform?

Needle and thread. You're looking for this sort of thing: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-Silver-Snap-Fa ... d1fee34798
(though I use about 6mm diameter ones.)

I Googled "poppers" and found all sorts of unsavory websites. Took me an age to bookmark them all.

The beauty of KD is that you can have a lot of variety with it and when it comes to officers you can generally be a law unto yourself, particularly with regards to the western desert.

You'll see a lot of private purchase kit, civilian stand ins, bizzar/medina made items and personal affectations... the more seniour in rank they more you can get away with.

Most insignia is poppered on due to the the fact kit was laundered with alarming frequncy which tends to destroy insignia.

There are a few questions rattling around in my head...

1. In Italy, would soldiers literally mix-and-match KD and wools? e.g. wool BD, KD trousers?
2. Would you ever see braces worn with KD trousers, visible over the aertex shirt?
3. Would scrubbed webbing be worn with wools?
4. Would you ever see a mix of scrubbed and blancoed webbing? i.e. worn by one individual?

Thanks

In reply to question 1 and 3 - yes and yes, I have pictures of Polish 2nd Corps almost certainly definitely wearing unblancoed webbing and wools, and of them wearing (in this case) KD trousers and a Battle dress blouse.

(p.s. you said soldiers in Italy, not just Brits so I assume I am allowed my Polish evidence )

Thank you, Craig. Just working out what I will be wearing this Sunday at the Rock.

I do like KD trousers and BD blouse, it looks ridiculous, which is good.

Thanks Chief. Any ideas on mixed webbing? I just have a couple of little items that I don't have duplicated in scrubbed - i.e. water bottle carrier and bayonet frog. Just wondering if it would look ok to have those blancoed and the rest scrubbed?

Mixed webbing is highly unlikely tbh.

Units tendedto blanco/unblanco en masse for uniformity for parades and when moving from one theatre to another or at an RSM or Colonels whim.

Personal kit issued to you would be blancoed/bleached/scrubbed etc as and when you were told to do it or everyone else was if it wasnt in the standing orders it should be of a certain appearance.

Certain stores held items would always be in the 'raw' state (bren valises, sten bandoliers etc) as these were issued to you for a job and returned to stores afterwards.

I've never seen mixed items one set of webbing in a period photo. As said webbing tended to be handled on a unit level depending on theatre and pretty much all at once... not when you felt like getting around to it. Hence all lads arriving in Italy would be told to have scrubbed webbing by first parade on Monday or risk spending a few days in the guard house.. similarly you might all be ordered to re-blanco... the fact you've run out of it is immaterial to the army , you'd be expected to have a supply ofyour own, buy some more from the naafi or steal it

What is actually backed up by annecdotal evidence is in crippling shortages of blanco in unit and naafi stores *everyone* being ordered to scrub there webbing back to raw for uniformity (even freshly arrived BCR lads with immacculately blancoed kit) despite the fact its less camouflaged (happened to Niges dads unit more than once, they were repeatedly messed about with conflicting blanco/no blanco orders for weeks).

However it did tend to be case of all your kit was one or the other and the other guys in the company or battalion looked the same.

Thanks Gadge.

No worries, personal kit admin is just one of those things that you're expected to do (even in the field) or be on a charge unless you've got amazingly good reason for it.

Mixed up webbing would be a bit like having one polished boot and one with scuffed leather showing... you've got boot polish in your kit to keep your boots servicable, you're expected to use it... same goes for blanco to a lesser extent.

You could possibly argue that a soldier might have hastily added a bit of webbing on campaign to some exisiting webbing on an adhoc basis but the second you were out of the line you'd have it taken off you or be on a charge - just wouldnt be worth it tbh

I don't want Yith to put me on a charge, so I'll get it sorted.

I have been keeping silent on this one... I had much the same thoughts as Gadge but thought I may as well leave it to him as he's dealt with it all so thoroughly...

I expect a charge will not be needed now!

Erm... wassat?

Erm... wassat?

A military form, the one needed for putting you on a charge

BCR lads

What is does BCR stand for? Wikipedia suggests Bay City Rollers, Belfast Community Radio, Bionic Commando Rearmed and The British Columbia Regiment, but I think it might be something else.

BCR lads

What is does BCR stand for? Wikipedia suggests Bay City Rollers, Belfast Community Radio, Bionic Commando Rearmed and The British Columbia Regiment, but I think it might be something else.

"Battle Casualty Replacement"

i.e: men drafted in to re-bolster squads who have suffered from losses.