wdbikemad

Basically, a larger (and quicker) version of the Model C, with the beefier CO gearbox.........the WD/Ls were essentially an "emergency" purchase under WD contract following the loss of equipment during the battle of France..... I'm pretty certain that many parts will be interchangeable with other stuff in the Enfield range of the time, but bear in mind that this is a militarised pre-war civvy model, and a real rarity on the scale of things..... Most of these served only in the UK amongst ATS and similar units........... No doubt Jan can substantially add to this....! Steve Madden

Made in that nice 70s butyl-nylon....! I wonder if "LPO" stands for "Local Purchase Order" ??? Is this an arctic issue item for a nice warm hearty tomato soup.....???

I remember during 1984 (I think) my feet were in a rather poor condition due to wearing DMS boots for long tours of duty in the field for weeks on end in poor weather......so on a rare day off I found my old NI boots in a kitbag...... It was a revelation putting them on......but within an hour I had merrily jumped out of a truck in the darkness and landed awkwardly, busting my ankle badly from which I still suffer today.... Guess my legs had got used to the support of puttees...! I think the NI boots were originally based upon the good ol' Dr Martens boots that many troops had started wearing in NI for pavement pounding, and were basically an official attempt to provide an alternative to the standard DMS ankle boot. Problem was, they were just not robust enough to last, a situation that has largely changed today with advancements in materials and construction techniques....... BCH (boots, combat, high) did not appear until around 1985 and the first version lasted until the early 90s.....but were not as well made as initially hoped with seams splitting and soles falling off....they were also rather painful to break-in....prior to that, there were few alternatives available to the DMS ankle boots that were any good..... German para boots were a popular alternative, as were RAF aircrew boots in my outfit if you could get 'em........but the other common option was to get your DMS boots extended to high-leg.......it was all really a question of what you could get away with at the end of the day.....!

The white pumps were RAF issue as well to all recruits in the early 80s.......along with 2 pairs of the dark-blue "shorts, voluminous, PT" (that were anything but short), plus 1 white and 1 light blue T-shirt......... PTIs took a perverse delight in ensuring that our almost daily PT sessions went through tons of mud, with a full kit inspection a couple of hours later, which usually meant missing lunch (not as unfortunate as it may sound considering the piss-poor food) to get everything clean and dry....... Following basic, they were the first thing slung in a skip.....soon followed by the shorts.....:-\

Made in regular and long only, the 58 pattern bag was a good quality item and the only variations are between different manufacturers........most were made by CQC (Chelsea Quilt Company)......... The nylon liner that attached internally to press-fasteners is best abandoned......keeps the bag reasonably clean against dirty combat clothing but a nightmare if it twists around your body during the night !!! Externally, you could attach the green nylon hooded poncho for waterproofing and additional insulation........ Mine lasted until 2004 when the zip gave up the ghost and I unceremoniously slung it in a skip on a French camp site..... These always need a good airing though.........they can smell absolutely hideous after lengthy storage.....:-X

The green woolly gloves were, frankly, useless.......no grip, absorbed water rapidly, and weren't at all warm.......although they were polyester rather than wool I seem to recall so poor to start with......nearly as awful in fact as the green polyester socks, which combined with DMS boots and plastic mesh insoles provided the perfect recipe for athletes foot and other attractive conditions.....

Dutch definitely......who also use decent versions of DPM kit !

Aircrew issue Harry......for RAF and AAC............basically, a later model of the DPM "Beaufort" temperate clothing (see earlier thread on "Beaufort".........trialed around the mid-2000's apparently.....

Worn underneath the "Trousers, Windproof, Arctic" (DPM).......:-D

Hi Jan ! Hoping you would come along !!!! Many thanks for the great info and I hope you are well ! Steve (ps - early contract plates are brass, not copper !!! - later are pressed steel or tin.....)

Never seen a set in breathable fabric........most around appear to be the old PVC-coated DPM "sweat suit".........I wonder how much use these garments actually have ? I can see a use within armoured formations and AAC field use, but actual usage and issue must be fairly limited....... During my days in the services, we never saw any petroleum-protective clothing.......you were just slung a jerrycan and told to fill the tanks of your landie up, usually with fuel sloshing everywhere and a fag on the go.....:-(

The black leather NI gloves had a long life and remained popular throughout the UK military, becoming obsolete following the introduction of the green (later black) leather CS 95 combat gloves...... Most found today are of the 2nd pattern, retaining the pad across the knuckles but the first issue with additional padded fingers are rather rare....I think they were only manufactured for a couple of years during the 1970s..... Many commercial copies of the 2nd pattern are around and still available.......genuine issue gloves are fitted with a small white label bearing size, manufacturer, NSN & contract number, and often a date on early production.......

Who remembers the 70s issue high-leg lightweight patrol boots, officially "boots, DMS, urban patrol".......? they were a very lightweight high-leg boot in grained leather, lace-up front, lightweight DMS sole similar (but not identical) to the standard ankle boot of the time.......I seem to recall they had no toe cap...?? They were introduced to provide a comfier alternative to the DMS boots and puttees for endless hours of pavement patrolling, were far quicker to put on than ankle boots and puttees (a vital factor in emergency call-outs) and lasted into the early 1980s......... Sought after at the time, and NI issue only, the downside was the things only lasted a few months before splitting and generally falling apart........first time I wore a pair instead of DMS boots and puttees I bust my ankle on rough ground.... Anyone ever seen the first pattern NI patrol gloves (black leather, pad on the knuckle) ? First issues also had padded upper fingers (except for the trigger finger)...later deleted as they had a tendency to catch on the handle of the riot shield........

Find the well-known photo of the para lifting up a WD/RE in front of him for the camera......you can see the contract plate wrapped around the left-upper rear frame rail......! (his hernia followed later......:wow:)

I think the securing clips are different, Ron......although the very early (1940-41) W/NGs appear to use the Triumph clips (square profile, as opposed to the later tapered Ariel variety).......:-D

TRF = "Tactical Recognition Flash"........these are always coloured...... No point in having subdued jump wings in this case ! The subdued jump wings were never an official issue during the 1970s to 90s, although that may well have since changed......but you could obtain them from commercial sources......issue rank insignia from the late-1970s onwards for combats was always subdued.......prior to this the old battledress or No.2 dress chevrons and/or embroidered officer rank pips were worn on combat dress, often on the right-sleeve only.....

Rather interestingly, The military Ariel W/NG is fitted with a side (field) stand remarkably similar to the 3SW and 3HW....in fact, the W/NG parts lists actually have the part number including "SW" in the designation........I wonder if they were the same as the Triumph component...? If so, you could also try Draganfly motorcycles in Suffolk, a meca for Ariel parts......

It is entirely possible that contract plates weren't fitted to the first contract.....but also possible that the plate was simply wrapped around a frame rail, similar to early WD/RE's, and a very easy thing to lose quickly, especially considering the greater abuse probably handed out to a Welbike.... It is thought that the "XXE" prefix was applied to the WD engines to signify the military version built with greater tolerances than normal to permit full-use of the power unit from new, not generally the case with most other engines that required a degree of running-in...... Villiers often applied odd letters to WD engines.....for example, the James ML (usually) has the suffix "A" after the engine number to signify a revised crankcase breather arrangement....

Another common zip, frequently found on 1960s production smocks of various types.........

Some late-production smocks and trousers, including para smocks, have labels that are indeed a rather shiny coated green colour with black printing.......guess a more modern development than the traditional cotton-based labels....

Harley's were also popular with the 2nd TAF........ The Ariel MoS contract books of which I have a copy go into massive detail about many contracts, including spare engines, forks, frames, etc......and they give serial numbers for Royal Navy Ariel's......but frustratingly, NOT the RAF ones !!!! Just a tip for anyone restoring RAF bikes dating from between 1940 and 1945......they came from the factory in standard Army camouflage colours (eg- khaki green No.3, SCC No.2 brown or the later olive drab (from April 44 onwards).....RAF serial numbers were applied plus, in many cases, a RAF roundel too...... Evidence suggests that many RAF bikes lacked pannier equipment for some reason......

All the above info is correct.......main differences in summary are the MK1's had different fuel tanks in respect of fittings (pump, etc) and some early frames lacked a lower plate (or "splash shield") beneath....... Not certain about the contract plate absence on MK1's though......by 1943 virtually all WD motorcycles carried these......mind you, the first Flying Flea contract of 1943 had the contract plate wrapped around the left upper-rear frame tube, secured by a single rivet......subsequent production saw this repositioned to the tip of the rear mudguard, half-way between the tip and the tail light......

Not sure myself......I actually have some of these (somewhere) and have asked the same question many times......

Agreed, DZ patches are usually square...... This may be one of the numerous UK formation flashes that began to make an appearance during the 1990's.....indicating particular regiments, battalions, etc........the presence of para wings does not necessarily indicate ex-airborne forces, as many other troops qualify for these wings..... I think the presence of a Union Jack would be unusual though.......these were generally reserved for the upper-left sleeve only, rarely if ever worn on both arms..... The smock itself looks to be late-production (late 1990s going into the 2000's).....judging by the colouring, pattern, etc...

With para wings and rank patch, I would put my money on the missing "square" insignia as being an airborne "DZ" patch in appropriate colours for the particular Battalion/unit......... SAS troops would wear no insignia, hence the lack of rank tabs on the garment.......but many of these were acquired by other troops, adding insignia to suit........paras almost always wore wings, rank and DZ patch on all combat garments and the SAS and arctic windproof smocks were extremely popular......