1970's Parachute regiment

[paul connor]

ok, here goes, i wanna get the full attire for my Humber pig mk1, As my father served in the 1st Parachute regiment.... heres the prob

 

What was the full kit? as it seems to vary in the pictures i have seen?

 

Ideal the Northen Ireland street combat wear,

 

I have a 70's Denison. With wings and red DZ flash on the right arm, and pegasus on the left,

AS far as i can see its green lightweights, and some sort of boots? DMS? or Jumpboots not sure??

 

and a beret/ helmet, anyone know the type used?

 

Scrim net scarf and assume the old wool issue jumper..

 

any one have any colour pics? and ideas? as my father passed away before i could ask what the full kit is, and my mother does not remember...

 

 

oh yes, i assume 58 issue webbing ?

 

can you help?

[polecat paul]

Hi i,ve been trawling threw my books on this one and have come up with what they wore.

Denison smock with badges that you spea k of,

Lightweights

shirt

Beret

Scrim scarf

58 pattern webbing in fighting order (cefo)

jumpboots

The only thing i,m not a 100% about is the woolly pulley because a friend of mine who served over there in the early 80's said that they were forbidden to wear them as if they were hit with a petrol bomb the jumper would just melt!!! ....horrible thought hope this helps mate.[/img]

[polecat paul]

Hope this picture helps

[polecat paul]

 

Heres a couple more pictures you see in the one the wearing of flak jackets

[Ian Dunn]

Hi Paul

 

I think (99% sure) the footware was Boots DMS and Putties were the ones used at this time

I was in the TA's in the Aldershot area from 1977 and we did not get Boots High Leg until about 1980

Also it might depend on when in the 70's you are representing as in the early 70's trousers lightweight were not issued and most units still had Denims.

 

Hope this helps

 

Ian

[paul connor]

im looking for circa 1972 really... Northen ireland street combat wear

 

putties? are these like gaiters?

[Ian Dunn]

Hi again Paul

 

Putties are lengths of material(similar toWW2 uniforms) brown in colour

42 inches long

4 1/2 inches wide

 

and a long (57 inches)1 inch wide tape attached to one end

where the tape is fixed the main part is sewn to form a v shape

 

the puttie is wraped around the leg (half on top of Boot DMS)

on the right leg it would be wound clockwise so that the v at the end is pointing to the rear then the tape is wound round on top and wraped around itself to finish.

 

you realy need to see it done to get the right idea

 

Ian

[Ian Dunn]

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr1317.html

 

have a look at the above address

 

Ian

[whistlinwolf]

And when they are wound around, the idea appears to be that they loosen off and get in the way when you start moving around :lol:

There is a knack to getting them on properly but once you have cracked it they are quite good and give you support to your ankles.

[Ian Dunn]

I agree with you on the support side

I think they were actualy more comfortable than boots highleg(the first ones anyway)

 

Ian

[paul connor]

now on my Xmas shopping list as well as some 58 webbing....

 

next an SLR.... saving for one! perfect for the complement

[whistlinwolf]

I think they were actualy more comfortable than boots highleg(the first ones anyway)

 

Ian

 

The first pattern ones actually gave Achiles tendon problems because of the heel piece been too high at the back, we always chopped 3" off ours Hey presto boots DMS again :lol:

[whistlinwolf]

Hey Paul, what size lightweights do you need? Just had a trawl about in my kit bag and there are a few pairs there in all the other gear, you can have them if the size is right , theres a couple of Denisons as well but I'm afraid they are staying put

[paul connor]

85/88/104... thats the nato one or near enough..

 

 

i have a denison, another would be nice if any one can spare one at a good price:)

[AlienFTM]

ok, here goes, i wanna get the full attire for my Humber pig mk1, As my father served in the 1st Parachute regiment.... heres the prob

 

What was the full kit? as it seems to vary in the pictures i have seen?

 

Ideal the Northen Ireland street combat wear,

 

I have a 70's Denison. With wings and red DZ flash on the right arm, and pegasus on the left,

AS far as i can see its green lightweights, and some sort of boots? DMS? or Jumpboots not sure??

 

and a beret/ helmet, anyone know the type used?

 

Scrim net scarf and assume the old wool issue jumper..

 

any one have any colour pics? and ideas? as my father passed away before i could ask what the full kit is, and my mother does not remember...

 

 

oh yes, i assume 58 issue webbing ?

 

can you help?

 

DMS would be good. As another poster states, you ought to wear puttees with DMS but you could get away without if you wear long lightweights, since puttees were time-consuming in the putting on (though remarkably comfortable once on). In NI there wasn't much standing on ceremony (if you'll pardon the pun): it was about getting the job done: they'd rather you were in the back of the Pig in your shreddies than in your room still getting dressed.

 

Besides:

 

There were Northern Ireland Patrol Boots available for issue. In 1976 on my Scorpion Gunner course, I met a Life Guards Corporal of Horse who was trialling Boots, Combat, High. He informed me that they had been in design for seven years and the prototypes he wore bore a strong resemblance to Boots, NI and Boots Jungle without the breathing panels. When we went to the Falklands, the Boots CH had still not been perfected and issued, we lost more troops to trench foot from the DMS than Argie fire, and Boots CH were rushed into service some 14 years after going into design. And they were a disaster until the Mk2 design came out.

 

You could get your DMS extended by a cobbler, if not in NI, certainly in Cyprus, for wear not on parade where they would be tolerated.

 

You could get a cobbler (again esp in Cyprus) to create DMS clones with an extra couple of inches. The cobbler nearest to the UNFICYP Force Reserve Squadron in Nicosia could do you a very nice, very high pair of DMS lookalikes with a zip up the inside to save having to lace them up in a hurry.

 

You could wear just about any other pair of black boots that looked remotely like DMS. Between 1977 and 1980, in search of better boots than DMS in BAOR (in command Troop where you might think the incidence of very senior ranks might make non-uniformity an issue), I wore US Army boots (they may have been comfortable to people they fit, but Americans have narrow feet and mine are exceedingly wide. I wore helicopter pilot boots (swapped them with my scout car commander and regimental signals sergeat). And I wore jackboots. Honestly. Not WW2 jackboots, but sheepskin-lined Bundeswehr Panzerstiefel (tank boots). Doc Martins were never approved, and Jack boots weren't approved in NI, but you can argue the case for just about anything else. (I was new and young in NI in early 1976 and wore what was issued). Come to think of it IIRC wellies were an issue item for plodging in the bogs.

 

Headgear would be a marron Para beret. NOTHING else would be appropriate. And the only truly correct one would be bought from Victor's of Aldershot, where the Paras were based. Any soldier who visited Aldershot might lay out the cost of a Victor's beret, as they were by far the best shape of beret anywhere. Kangol were standard issue and they were frankly awful. Finding a Compton-Webb beret in the right size available for exchange from the QM Store was wonderful. In the 1970s NOBODY wore a helmet whilst driving a vehicle. Standard issue steel helmets (esp with visors) were entirely impractical. As armoured recce at the time, we crews tried everything to get out even of wearing CVR(T) bonedomes.

 

Webbing. All you need is a web belt belt, ammo pouches left and right, water bottle pouch (on the left IIRC) and respirator pouch (on the right IIRC). But if you want to add yoke and kidney pouches, be my guest.

 

You may find trousers OD (Olive Drab). They are like lightweights but slightly heavier material and instead of fastening by zip and a top button, they had button fly and wrap-around semi belts (one passed through the other) buckling at the sides. These were Para issue - we got some for our UNFICYP tour of 76 - 77. But lightweights are perfectly adequate.

 

If you can find a flak jacket, so much the better. I saw numerous different patterns: I found a hich collar quite comfortable. The instructions suggested wearing it under the combat jacket, but Standing Orders demanded you wear them over.

 

HTH

[ArtistsRifles]

Can't speak for the regular units as, 99.999% of the time we met up with them they were the "enemy" but guys who transferred in to my old lot from TA para units usually turned up wearing:

 

Boots DMS

Socks Woollen

Puttees

Trousers DPMS

Shirts KF

Jumpers Wool

Either Jacket DPMS or Denyson smocks if lucky

 

After getting through S&C "normal" wear would be:

either Boots DMS (barracks) or Doc Martins (field)

Puttees - around top of boots but not around the trouser end, these were

tucked up inside sealing rings from 88 mm ammo containers

Trouser DPMS

Shirts KF

Jumpers Wool

Smock DPMS Windproof

 

Trousers were held up by belts made from nylon webbing material in the field or Regimental stable belt in barracks

 

Webbing was 58 pattern - 2 x ammo pouches at front - usually bought from a US PX as they held 2 x SLR mags each tight enough not to rattle unlike the regular 58 pattern ones, kidney pouches holding E&E kit, RCK and medical kit, S6 respirator case.

On top of this a bergen would be carried holding 48 hours rations, sleeping bag, poncho, Gollock, noddy suit and between 500 to 100 rounds of belted 7.62mm ammo if out in a section or panther that had GPMG's assigned. If not the ammo would be either boxed or, if you were in funds and could buy spare mags pre-loaded ready to go. Some had "doctored" Bren mags to get over the problem of a Bren being gravity fed whilst the SLR needed to be force fed. Never thoguht they were too successful though...Might even carry a 66mm LAW too if the need arose plus - usually C4 demo kit

 

Somewhere indoors I still have the puttees and sealing rings as well as beret... No idea were though :-(

[hardyferret]

Got 2 agree with Neil LMG mags not reliable and i found always catching them and made resting SLR difficult

As posted no self respecting cherry berry would be seen dead in province in a battle bowler unless ordered

victor berets were and I presume still the best

I might be wrong but thought NI boots in around 75 or were these personal kit being worn then??

To go with your kit look out for riot topper (helmet) for the very early 70's you need mk1 or turtle back helmet with the added visor CLIVE THE PIG ( some how I don't think clive will want that to catch on) had some

Also riot stick, NI gloves, jazz mag for those quite moments on stag......

nice to see people taking interest and wanting it right

 

Regards Jerry special frog squad formed Rollestone SPTA 1982

[fv1609]

This is 1972 at time of BS.

[paul connor]

Well now i have most the kit:)

 

 

All now is saving and my GF birthday money for SLR with wood furniture and pre 95 deact!

 

Lets hope i can get a nice one for a half decent price!!

 

anyone got one for sale in OCT? any ideas on pricing?

 

I know new spec are poo! and about £120-250

old seem anything from £300-800