"No5 Bayonet Frog"

[Flying10uk]

Did anyone ever see these "leather retention straps" used in service that a few UK dealers now have for sale. According to the people selling them they were used to help retain No4 spike bayonet scabbards in frogs that were "a bit loose". One could imagine finding that one had lost one's bayonet when one needed it if the scabbard wasn't securely retained to the frog. On the other hand they may have been produced but never issued, hence why some are available now.

[Peter Laidler]

I have to say that I never ever saw one but that's not to say they were not available of course. BUT, if they were available through Ordnance sores, then there WOULD be a B2/CR- XYZ type part number available too. And I never saw such a number (or item) in the old paper VAOS lists either.

On the other hand, we always had big piles of No4 type new and used scabbards available in order to use the scabbard button on No5/L1A1 scabbards where it'd broken off or was missing due to poor silver soldering. I seem to recall that the tinnies (the tinsmiths) would knock a few dozen off at a time and the turners would skim off the slightly rounded rear and they'd be ready to re-use on the No5's

[tombear]

Karkee webb covers the leather tab quite nicely

Pattern 1937 Web Equipment

near the bottom of the page. I've a unissued one floating about.

we've been thinning out the collection and just put a couple of frogs on ebay including a unissued 1944 Pat job dated 1945.

ATB

Tom

[Peter Laidler]

Stores Ref. A1/AA 1819 Tabs, securing bayonet
Stores Ref. B2/AA 1819 Tabs, securing bayonet
Stores Ref. B1/AA 1819 Tabs, securing, Bayonet, No. 4, Mk.I
Stores Ref. B1/1005-99-961-9514 Tabs, securing, Bayonet, No. 4, Mk.I

Re the above. His understanding of why it only refers to the No4 Mk1 bayonet is incorrect. The Mk1 part refers to the Mk/type of TAB. So it actually describes:
the Mk1 B1/AA1819 TAB used to secure the No4 bayonet
as opposed to the two top nomenclatures that wrongly describe the loop as securing 'a bayonet' - what bayonet!

It's like BOX, securing, transit, Sten x10, Mk1. It's not a box for shipping 10 Mk1 Stens, it's the Mk1 box used for shipping 10 stens of any type!

Maybe you could tell/.explain this to him Tom. One of the lessons learned from being an old, long time Armourer within the system and of how the QM's system works

[tombear]

I will pass it on to him Peter. Cheers!

ATB

Tom

[Peter Laidler]

It's an easy mistake to make Tom. But as many knew, it was mistakes like this that could soon become mistakes to YOUR advantage