Sterling Mk4 L2A3

[Peter Laidler]

I KNEW that you'd ask Vince! Off at a tangent for Vince. So look away now if you despair of my going off at a tangent.

When the No4 rifle was in service, the Energa launchers were issued with the leather pouches. But when the L1A1 came on stream, the then 'new' grenade launcher was issued with instructions that the old No4 type would be withdrawn BUT quartermasters would retain the leather pouches for the new L1A1 type launchers, issued 1 for 1 at Battalion level. So far, so good. But as the new '58 pattern webbing came on stream, it already HAD a pocket for the launcher so the leather pouches sat on the QM's shelves for years........ and years....... and years! Finally in the early 70's no less, instructions were issued that they should be reduced to scrap or salvage locally. To be honest, they were useless for anything else so they were simply put in the bin (the little lift-the-dot closing studs were useless anyway but there was a VAOS part for a replacement set.....).

That is the reason why the little leather pouches are rarer than the launchers. Every Battalion had about 200* nominated 'grenadiers' so multiply that by Infantry Battalions in 1970 PLUS Ordnance stocks and it's plenty. There were some being advertised on that auction site about 5 years ago and I suggested that everyone should get one while they could. Deaf ears I suspect..........
* Germany, don't know about UK