British Web Equipment of the Two World Wars

Book excerpt: The outbreak of WW1 in 1914 found the British Army unready in many respects for a new age of warfare. However, the British led the world in the personal equipment worn by the infantryman thanks to an American officer named Anson Mills and the skills of the company created to produce his design - the 1908 equipment set made in woven cotton web. By the outbreak of WW2, the British infantry had new 1937 pattern equipment, whose design reflected a new generation of weapons and tactics. This proved unequal to the special demands of jungle warfare in the Far East: so 1944 saw yet another set of kit. In this book the author offers collectors and students of militaria a detailed review of these infantry equipments which spanned the British soldier's combat experience throughout most of the 20th century.