Which one? for a Humber pig?

[paul connor]

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Edited December 2, 2008 by Marmite!!
Photo links repaired

[Mark]

First one :-D

[fv1609]

Third one or third one with helmet of first one or better still third one with airborne helmet, given that I assume you are aiming for early 1972. The belt seems a bit high & tight, seemed to be looser & worn more on the hips maybe the weight of the respirator & bag helped pull it down a bit.

 

So have you sorted your brakes out?

 

[AlienFTM]

Second one when it's warm enough; third one when it isn't. Paras won't wear anything but beret unless they absolutely have to. And even then ... And inside a Pig ...

 

Even in the cavalry, we never wore a helmet unless we had to (like they built the radio harness into the bonedome). The helmet has only become fashionable again in recent years because they are issuing ballistic helmets instead of steel.

[fv1609]

These chaps have just come out of a pig Jan 1972:

 

 

Edited December 2, 2008 by Marmite!!
Photo links repaired

[Snapper]

Good reference pix, Sir Paul - when we do the photoshoot you can do the lot if you want. I was not a Para (I can hear my mrs laughing), but didn't some of them blacken the cap badge to make it less of an aiming point???? I'm sure this is mentioned in AFN Clarke's book Contact, which was later a BBC one off drama. Interesting to know who remembers either and what they think of them....

[fv1609]

Edited December 2, 2008 by Marmite!!

[AlienFTM]

Good reference pix, Sir Paul - when we do the photoshoot you can do the lot if you want. I was not a Para (I can hear my mrs laughing), but didn't some of them blacken the cap badge to make it less of an aiming point???? I'm sure this is mentioned in AFN Clarke's book Contact, which was later a BBC one off drama. Interesting to know who remembers either and what they think of them....

 

 

Yes they did blacken the badge. It was common practice in all units. There were a number of RMP reinforcements on my NIRTT (Northern Ireland Reinforcement Training Team) course. Last day was spent on patrol in Belfast with a unit. The section commander was required to confirm that the reinforcement was fit to serve in NI; failure meant you'd be unfit to serve and probably returned to the mainland. RMPs attached to units for this test were given given blue berets to disguise the fact that they were RMP. As cavalry attached to Marines, I wasn't given a green beret.

 

Note that camouflage chevrons were not yet on issue in 1976 (must have arrived very soon thereafter) and normal chevrons were all that was available): see previous pic. If worn at all on a combat jacket, they were often blacked out (presumably with black ink). I do recall the Lcpl in my troop who blacked has brand new stripe out with blue ink. As cavalry we had stripes on brassards to wear over overalls, but they could also be worn over combats. These would be useful in NI as you could entirely remove these aids to target ID.

 

The Para Lcpl in the pic has done neither of these things, but then, being Para, he'd be wearing the maroon beret deliberately to let PIRA know they were in town and he'd be immortal. Maybe he hadn't yet learned the trick of disguising his stripe, or again he was (is?) immortal.