Web Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1937
What was and what was not Patt. ’37 W.E.
If reliance was placed on dealers’ listings and, sadly, those of collectors, the range of Pattern 1937 W.E. items would have been very, very large indeed. Fortunately, it is not true. It is about time that the Facts were stated, categorically.
In 1938, the Pattern comprised just 15 items. Thereafter, new items were added, existing items incorporated and others made obsolescent and then obsolete. The changes are charted in the diagram below. Anything and everything else - regardless of what you read - is NOT, repeat NOT “Patt. ’37 W.E.” This excludes many items that were designed either for wear with, or even for physical attachment to, or integration with, Patt. ’37, none of which ever gained Patt. ’37 nomenclature.
The diagram shown here was created by Rog Dennis. It may seem a bit complex at first, but it actually gives a very clear picture of how the makeup of W.E. Patt. '37 changed over its service life, as various components were added, removed, and modified. It is worth spending the time it takes to study it.
Associated Equipment
The following are only a sample of the items associated with, but not named as, Patt.’37. A complete list would delay uploading the more important section, Patt. ’37 W.E. itself. KW would welcome additions to this sample, which will be dealt with as time – and information – permit. The point about “information” is important, as many of these items are not in V.A.O.S. Section A1, appearing in Sub-Sections of Sections B, C, D, F, J, V, W, Y and Z. KWRT does not have a full range of the publications covering the code lists in each of these. All assistance would be welcomed!
For convenience, we have divided the Associated Equipment section into three pages. The first page deals with equipment that is "attached to" Patt.'37 proper. The second page lists articles that are "slung over" W.E. Patt. '37, but not actually attached to it. The final page deals with other equipment that was associated with W.E. Patt. '37. It must be noted that these divisions are arbitrary and were created simply to make sense of a long list - these distinctions are in no way supported by any official documentation.
