1980's Lee-Enfield Carry Case?

[peregrinvs]

Hi,

I've just acquired this off eBay:

ARMY CANVAS UNUSED RIFLE SLIP | eBay

As you can see, it looks like one of the WWII Lee-Enfield webbing carry cases, but it's olive green rather than khaki and 1984 dated. 'MW&S' is a British webbing manufacturer.

Any idea what was it made for? Cadet No.4's? No.8's?

Thanks,
Mark

Information

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[Thunderbox]

Looks like a rifle slip, but I never saw one of those in service.

It appears to be part of the Pattern 1958 (p58) webbing set that was used up until the 1990s but, judging by the chalk marks, this might be just a prototype or a sample that was never adopted - lots of one-off clothing and webbing items have been sold off as surplus recently, and have appeared on eBay.

[Peter Laidler]

It MIGHT be someones lucky day as it LOOKS from the length like it's from an L42 CES. The original issues were just the bog standard No4 rifle type, lengthened on contract by REMPLOY (I think it was a factory near Andover somewhere.....) who did a decent job or you local Base Workshop equipment repairer, who was more used to repairing Land Rover and Bedford canopies who did a barely passable job.

Later issues were what we called 'new-build' in that '58 pattern heavy duty canvas, just like the photo.

Someones lucky day I think. What do you think TBox?

As a matter of interest Peregrine, I teach physics and always try to throw in small aide memoirs such as simple sayings that make learning easy. Is there more to your phrase about Newton? He's a pet subject of mine, being an Oxford Physicist and all that!

[peregrinvs]

It MIGHT be someones lucky day as it LOOKS from the length like it's from an L42 CES. The original issues were just the bog standard No4 rifle type, lengthened on contract by REMPLOY (I think it was a factory near Andover somewhere.....) who did a decent job or you local Base Workshop equipment repairer, who was more used to repairing Land Rover and Bedford canopies who did a barely passable job.

Later issues were what we called 'new-build' in that '58 pattern heavy duty canvas, just like the photo.

Someones lucky day I think. What do you think TBox?

As a matter of interest Peregrine, I teach physics and always try to throw in small aide memoirs such as simple sayings that make learning easy. Is there more to your phrase about Newton? He's a pet subject of mine, being an Oxford Physicist and all that!

An L42 eh? Well, well ,well.

The Newton quote is an epitaph written by Alexander Pope. The poet Sir John Squire later added:

"It could not last; the Devil shouting "Ho!
Let Einstein be!" restored the status quo".

Funnily enough, I recently got to go on a tour of the Royal Society in London and in the library was allowed to touch the page of a book on which Newton himself had written.

[Mk VII]

The NSN comes back as 'Cover, Short, Rifle'.
Somebody got a bargain.

[Peter Laidler]

Is it still a good NSN Mk7? Like you say, someo9ne got a good bargain there and it shows that this stuff STILL turns up on those auction sites. The vendor has probably got some more and the little plastic CONTAINER, cleaning kit from the same CES!

[Mk VII]

You're probably in a better position than me to find out - I don't subscribe to the sites that let you look up that stuff.

[peregrinvs]

Well it's arrived and it's in mint unused condition. Total length is about 45in with the flap closed. Construction appears to be identical to the WWII khaki / brass version. I was thinking of using it to store a rifle, but perhaps not in hindsight.

Can anyone point me at a copy of the L42 CES that lists this cover?

Thanks,
Mark

[gsimmons]

Look on Brian Dicks web site, I think he has them. bdlltd.com

[Mk VII]

It's the same NSN as the one in my list.