Enfield1940 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 (edited) Hi, Does anyone know what this strap is for? It looks like a mixture of a P37 shoulder brace, a 1 inch P37 buckle and 2 MkV gas mask bag strap hooks. It came with a 1962* dated P37 entrenching tool carrier that my father bought many years ago as army surplus. I have designs upon the hooks for P25 rucksack restoration purposes, but I'm keen to identify what it is before I chop it up. Cheers, Mark *Yes, definitely 1962 dated and made by M.E.Co. As to why they were still making them in 1962..? Edited August 12, 2012 by Enfield1940 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woa2 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 It could be a Radio set strap. Any part numbers stamped on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enfield1940 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 There's what looks like 'Z.N.2108' stamped on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woa2 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 There's what looks like 'Z.N.2108' stamped on it. If that is ZA or ZB then the strap is for a British Radio or Telephone set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enfield1940 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 It definitely looks like an 'N'. I've done a spot of googling and it looks like a WS38 wireless strap, but with a wider bit in the middle like a P37 shoulder brace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Suslowicz Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 That is weird. ZN.2108 is one of the carrying straps for the WS18, (also the WS22, WS62, WS68 and Supply Unit No.5) but that is yet another different variety! The "original" ZN.2108 strap was a standard cross strap with two loose buckles, two 1" hooks, and a diagonally-attached 1" buckle and short strap at one end of the wide portion. ZN.2107 was the "other handed" version. ZN.2190 (Yes, I suspect a transposition error for ZN.2109) was the waist belt (P08 pattern with riveted-on hinge plates) for the unit (not for WS62 use). The later harness (which re-used the same VAOS numbers) used standard 'L' pack straps with an added 1" hook and buckle. The waist belt was cut down at the hinge ends and a 1" strap substituted for the full P08 belt. This is neither one thing nor the other, but may be either an early ZN.2108 with the diagonal strap removed, or made that way as a "Straps, Carrying, 'H'" with a wider shoulder pad for some reason. There are two varieties of 1" hooks (three or four if you count the nickel and tin plated (the latter is particularly horrible) versions: The long one (which you have), and the short one (used on the WS38 harness and also the Hooks, Brace) which is nearly triangular. (The repro WS38 harness and Brace Hook manufacturers persist in using the wrong hook, which is how you can spot the repro items.) Best, Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Believe it or not, khaki 37 pattern webbing was still being manufactured into the early 1970s.......I have a belt, bayonet frog, khaki anklets and one ammo pouch dated 1971 and 1972....British made and coded.......not sure who for or why these were still being made then as huge stocks from previous years still remained at the time....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Believe it or not, khaki 37 pattern webbing was still being manufactured into the early 1970s.......I have a belt, bayonet frog, khaki anklets and one ammo pouch dated 1971 and 1972....British made and coded.......not sure who for or why these were still being made then as huge stocks from previous years still remained at the time....... Mmmhhh....:undecided:.now then..... ...call me Mr Cynical but............................. I'd guess probably because some company had one of those rather lucrative contracts that was set in stone and said something along the lines of... ".....the government guarantees to buy X number of these off you even when we clearly don't need anymore and we've got no hope of ever using the ones already in stock but we'll still let you keep manufacturing and delivering them to us by the thousand because it suites someone faceless that still gets a nice backhander every year off the contract and he's still around and prominent so we can't embarrass him by ending the contract so we'll just dump them quietly and regularly on the surplus market at a fraction of their cost to us to make room in the warehouse for your latest delivery ".......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Suslowicz Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Further thoughts: ZN.2108 is definitely a bogus stores code, I think. (Unless it was reissued for unknown purposes - but if it was _that_ late, why does it not have an NSN instead?) Also, the end with the buckle is much too short to fit a radio set in any sensible fashion: it's the only adjustable part, so is not intended to be buckled around the WS18/62/68 carrying hoop (assuming the hook is a later addition). I suspect it's designed as a carrying sling for something long, thin, and fairly heavy, like the Case, Aerials, No.1 for the WS22 (the tubular steel thing about 1.5" diameter that you can stuff full of 'F' rods and fit Aerial Base No.11 to the top of for use on the move). That was originally issued with Straps, Carrying, 'H', which was 1" webbing all the way, and probably very uncomfortable to carry for long distances, If you only want the hooks, I can trade it for one of the 'H' straps or something, to save chopping it up. Chris. p.s: the gas mask brass hooks are lighter construction still - much thinner brass sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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