Bren Vest

[Flying10uk]

The 2 Bren mags per pocket, per side, giving a total of 4 mags per vest would give the same Bren mag carrying capacity as Pattern 37 webbing with 2 basic pouches attached, would it not?

These "skeleton Bren mag vests" may not have proved very practical or have been used much but various designs of "assault vests" are still around today and still used.

[Gil Boyd]

Like a lot of kit...........produced but rarely worn by a wartime operational gun team, and thereafter not seen in any campaigns or wars that followed

[Flying10uk]

I am just as likely to buy an item for my collection that is of poor design as an item of good design because an item of poor design can be interesting.

[browningautorifle]

2 basic pouches attached,

Yes but the crew carried a case plus. The troops carried one or two each.

"assault vests"

Yes but vastly different. Most of the simple vests like the one we had issued went the way of the others like this one because it only carried four mags. The men procured cummerbund pouches and carried ten plus mags...usually. Our little tac vest was shorthanded. Like this one. That's after we had the C2 bra vest for years...also a failure...

can be interesting.

Yes, I would fully expect. There is ONE here in a collection too.

[Flying10uk]

Is the general consensus here that the "Bren Vest" is of little interest or value to collectors of today?

I intend to keep the one which I have pictured in post one of this thread because it is interesting to me and I was first shown one by a well known Uk collector in the 1970's who is no longer with us.

vastly different

but same concept

[browningautorifle]

I intend to keep the one which I have pictured

I fully would expect one to hold on to it. With it just being the second I've seen in 40 odd years...

[Gil Boyd]

Well you had me wondering, so I went through the Parachute Regiment reserve collection today at Colchester to see if such a beast exists, and yes it does and apparently it was produced by the Airborne community for D-DAY.
What is accurate and recorded in the museum archive at Duxford, is that every man in a section was given two Bren mags each, with the actual gunner/user of the weapon carrying five in addition to his other kit, ie spare parts wallet and barrel. I attach a photo of the one we hold from D-Day very slightly different but the same beast.
Thanks for bringing this up on a thread, and as my dad always said "Son there is something to learn about Military equipment everyday" how that rings in my ears daily.
Oh and yes we have a PIAT version where the bombs were carried on the back in pouches too, which is very rare!

[Gil Boyd]

Not much different on the same theme of carriage for the soldier of today

[Gil Boyd]

Additional images on the vests we hold and the markings on them if it helps

[browningautorifle]

apparently it was produced by the Airborne community for D-DAY.

That would make more sense than anything. That's why it was relegated after...

Except...it's not quite the same vest.