Paddy1

If you go to the Pathe News site and put Alvis Stalwart in the search box, there's a couple of films of the early prototype under test. http://www.britishpathe.com/

I always thought these hats were pretty smart. But then I'm biased because the bird I've been married to for 41 years was wearing one at RAF Abingdon when we met in 1969. Managed to buy one off Ebay a couple of years ago. My grandkids call it the Thunderbirds hat.

I wore my old cotton one for years after I got demobbed when I was driving for a living. It was identical except for the attached belt. Really comfortable. Then for some unaccountable reason it gradually became two sizes too small. The 'batchelor buttons' were a godsend when it had to be washed.

Tinweasle, just PM'd you.

This clip appeared in the Channel 4 "Classic Trucks" series, and I imagine was filmed for it. The series was shown in 1995 and is long overdue a repeat, along with "Classic Plant." Both were released on video in 1999 but I've not been able to find them for sale in DVD.

I have a vague recollection of these being a starred item. Only because our adjutant lost his on an exercise - well not so much lost as nicked by some passing squaddie - and there was a big fuss.. There was a search for it but it was never found and he was furious at having to pay. I remember them having a smell all their own too. Pretty warm though.

I never encountered the Frame, Manpack whilst I was in the army and came across this one in our local Army&Navy – now sadly gone – in 1974. I was looking for a frame rucksack for a walking camping tour I was going on but, unlike today, they were really expensive then. Then I spotted this. I knew I could easily strap a 58 patt pack and kidney pouches to it and, brand new at two quid, it was very cheap. It worked perfectly. It was as light as a feather, and the strap arrangement kept the load clear of your body and allowed a free passage of air across your back. The head strap proved to be very useful on steeper ascents, where it was necessary to lean forward. My neighbour, an old Korean War hand from the Kings recognised it right away. The frames first appeared there with the American forces, who issued them to their own troops and also to the Korean porters they employed. They proved invaluable for transporting rations, water and ammunition up the long steep tracks to the company positions on the hills. The frame even had a little shelf, now lost, which could be moved onto any of the rungs, allowing loads of varying sizes and weights to be positioned exactly, where they were then strapped into place. The British quickly realized their value and ordered a quantity for our troops, often utilizing them for radio packs as well. This one even had a little British army booklet with it, now sadly lost, which had diagrams of how to set the load and strap it in place. An excellent idea and still in use in many armies worldwide. I’ve never seen another and wonder if anyone else ever came across them?

I remember those infamous shorts Gary. And being forbidden to roll them up in any way. Ditto the KF shirt, which you couldn't make any attempt to get to fit properly.The whole point being to make you look as ridiculous as possible while you were a sprog. I have a picture of me in depot 1966 with my locker in the background and you can just see my two pairs of striped pyjamas, squared off 12x12. I never once saw anyone wearing them - all that re-ironing - and mine finished up under a bumper on a bull night eventually. The MOD must have had warehouses full of this stuff that from the 40s and 50s they were determined to get through before redesigning anything.

Sorry Bazz, the bits I had left were carted off to Kent by my grandkids where, to my amazement it's all treated like the Dead Sea Scrolls now. The only thing I have left is my best shining brush from my polishing kit. The holdall is a green rubberised one with a long strap and a short one to go round your waist out in the field. On an FFR inspection, the holdall had to carry shaving soap and and brush, ordinary soap, one of those five shilling Gillette razors with spare blades, toothbrush and paste, KFS and hussif.

Powdered tea? Christ I'd definitely be taking the redundancy. The compo tea was always nice and strong. The sight of a rich red brew being stirred up in a big dixie on a cold exercise always perked me up. A mug of that dished out with a corned dog sandwich, a couple of Woodbines and things always looked better.

A lot of the bog paper was used in the sinks years ago because there were never any plugs. Izal was best for this because it was tougher than tissue. My brother was a national serviceman in 1956 and the plugs were missing everywhere then. My little green holdall turned up in my father's attic a couple of years ago. In it were my shaving kit, hussif, diggers, a steel mirror - and my personal plug. I couldn't speak for laughing when I saw it. On the subject of the rations the army got right I'll say two words: oatmeal blocks. At endex, I was always on the lookout for stray tins. Don't know if they still have them now.

Alright then. How about Worst Meal You Were Ever Given. Leaving those sodding pilchards aside ( they were always there but I can never remember anyone taking any) here's my contribution: a boiled potato on a piece of dry toast.

The KF shirts were definitely the worst for me. Mine, issued in 1965, were made in Belfast in 1942 according to the label. They must have had bales of them left over from the war. Being pretty skinny, they just hung on me like a sack. The cheap black PT plimsolls weren't up to much either. You could feel every little stone when you were running. When you think of the science that goes into designing running shoes now and compare. The most puzzling thing was the pimples on the boots, both ammo and DMS. If the army required the leather flat then why didn't they just order it that way? Save all the messing about with candles and spoons. One thing I was sorry to have to give back was my greatcoat, in 1972. In return we got a skimpy little green quilted thing, like you see now being worn by horsey people. I think it was officially a liner for your combat jacket.

I'm enjoying this blog. I rebuilt a series 2 about ten years ago but it didn't look as tidy as this one is shaping up. I drove a lot of airportables in the army and I thought they were fantastic to handle. I spent a bit of time in Bulford garrison, which features a pretty sharp bend and barely a week went past without seeing one being put back on it's feet there by the REME, after some squaddy had rolled it going too fast.

Spotted this Saracen on another site. Needs a bit of fettling but not too bad. http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=58544