question 58 Webbing - What radios were these for?

[LarryH57]

When I got my Lightweight a few years ago I found two bits of 58 webbing in it and both bits appear to be radio bags. Can anyone say what radios they were for?

 

The first is the same size as a 58 webbing ammo pouch but has a hole in the flap and on the right as you look at it, is an open ended side 'pocket' of the same length (for a small aerial?).

 

The other bag is 1 ft long, 9 inches wide and 5.25 inches deep. Strangely it has four long straps that go right round the outside to tighten it and other smaller straps that may connect it to a carrying frame.

 

I have not found anything like them on the web.

 

Thanks in advance

 

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Edited September 6, 2008 by Marmite!!
Photo link edit

[woa2]

I beleive the first item is a carrier for an 88 set (it is one of a pair, the one you have is for the set and the other carrys the battery). The other item looks like an A40 carrier, but I'm not sure.

[LarryH57]

Thanks Robert,

 

I can't say I have heard of an 88 set but I used to use an Larkspur A41 in 1970's but for the life of me I cannot remember them being in webbing. Perhaps the A40 was different from A41 thats why?

[Richard Farrant]

 

I can't say I have heard of an 88 set

 

WS88 manpack set, take a look at this, www.vmars.org.uk/ws88.html

[woa2]

Thanks Robert,

 

I can't say I have heard of an 88 set but I used to use an Larkspur A41 in 1970's but for the life of me I cannot remember them being in webbing. Perhaps the A40 was different from A41 thats why?

 

The A41 was a back pack set and the A40 was much smaller and was carried on a belt. The Infantry 88 set was carried like Bren pouches, and replaced the wartime 38 set in the late 1940s. I'm not too sure about the A41 but you could try the 19 set group for more help.

One detail, it's not 58 pattern webbing, but 44 pattern for this pouch. Both 44 and 58 webbing are the same colour.

Edited September 6, 2008 by woa2

[LarryH57]

I have just had a look at the 44 Pattern pouch and it has ZA33126 printed on the reverse if that's anything to go by.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Yes, it's 44-pattern webbing for the Wireless Set No.88.

 

ZA.33126 is the set carrier with the hole in the top for the aerial.

ZA.33127 is the battery carrier (for a large 90V/1.5V brick).

 

Chris.