"No5 Bayonet Frog"

[Peter Laidler]

Dear o' dear....... In the Far East, we had No5 rifles and bayonet frogs sewn into our '44 webbing - as we did with the '58 type. For those earlier than that, you went to the QM's and got a big pile of '37 pattern webbing, signed for it and got whatever mix was in the pile. Neither the Tech QM, the dopey storemen - the blanket stackers - the room corporal or platoon Sgt or anyone else in the whole Field Army cared who made it, what factory it came from or where in the world it was made. Just so long as it was scrubbed clean and presentable, that was it. Whether i was for a No1, No4, No9, No7, No5, L1A1 type or whatever....... you got what you got. Can you imagine some asking the arms storeman if he could have a BSA made rifle or a Fazakerley SMG......

Lads, that's NOT how it worked as I'm sure Muffer and Jim will confirm