SAS L1A1 (but not really)

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
As answered above, I can't see any reason why you would do it differently than taking the front sling off. Yes remember several other Regiments in riot situations being shot.
I was trying to find the video of a Scots Regiment where the lad was being dragged out of the back of a Pig by the rifle in a riot, and the reason why not to make a loop from the rear part of the sling. Fim is better than words, if I locate it I'll put it up.
The woman was trying to cock the rifle as she and others pulled him, so thank God he followed SOP's on that day!!

[Gil Boyd]

First image again shows it in use and second one from a film is your worst scenario

[Peter Laidler]

Made me chuckle Gil. In real life, it's your worst nightmare come true....... although in real life, when they caught up with the little bas......., er..... rascal, the bloke who caught him would probably have tripped on his boot laces, fallen down on him totally accidentally of course, landing heavily on him with his knees and......... Anyway, that's what I'd have said. (Dave Chesh knew all the answers)

[Gil Boyd]

Salt of the earth both Chesh and Benny...........a different breed of soldier, different times. Brave men
Just take a moment to look in detail at that first photo. The expressions on the peoples faces, their ages now and the kids...............wonder what impact that photo had on their futures??
Grrrrrrrr those second hand American ex VN flak jackets the UK Government bought lock stock and barrel

[browningautorifle]

those second hand American ex VN flak jackets the UK Government bought lock stock and barrel

You only got half of them. We got the other half. Then we kept them until Yugo in the early '90's. We even had some of the XX sizes that had rope around the armholes, ex Korean war issue...

[enbloc8]

Preference to the user.............but that would present lots of problems to him doing it that way round. It would allow someone intent on separating it from its user, to take it further from his body in that configuration for example, and give them more "dragability" and/or allow the barrel to be turned on him more easily IMHO
Just out of interest, was the Saracen displaying a red cross, as we didn't have any saracens only open Land Rovers no doors or Humber Pigs on lone when we needed them? Reason for asking is it may have been a medic not a PARA!

Thanks for your explanation; that does make sense.

The photo doesn't seem to want to post, so I'm attaching the URL to its Photobucket file. I don't remember where I got it (who knows, maybe a past thread here?); whatever's wrong about the information, I'll gladly correct it!

Para troops with L1A1s and Saracen No Ireland_zpseglem6ig.jpg Photo by enbloc8 | Photobucket

[Paul S.]

Gil said, 'Grrrrrrrr those second hand American ex VN flak jackets ...'

The Yanks in Vietnam didn't have much love for them either.

[Gil Boyd]

EnblocB,
That is a staged photo with Lt Dave Brough 1 PARA. Young one pipper officer, with no belt order, was an no no as SOP's in NI, thats the first issue, second one, clearly it was the very early days when we had cups of tea from both sides, and the sling issues only manifested themselves when rioting occurred in later years, also no flak jacket.ummmmmmmmmmmm

browningautorifle,
The problem was they had not, in some cases had the blood washed off them, or the inked ace of spades and sweethearts names taken off them, so you knew they hadn't been in stores at Donnington for long.
First thing we did was to cut open the neck seams and stuff the collar down inside it. We then as a Regiment wore our PARA smocks over the top of them......most of us didn't need padding out, but it made "Everyman an Emperor" built like the preverbial s***house
It was a quick reaction hole, for a situation the UK Government found themselves having to fill urgently. One good thing about them was, in open Landrovers on freezing mornings

Post script: Photo taken on the 15th August 1969..........well before any problems for the Army, and no flak jackets were issued until 70-71 to my knowledge. Queens Regiment with him.

[Peter Laidler]

Good thread but it makes a tour of NI sound like a bit of a wheeze. Nothing could be further from the truth especially by 72/3 or so onwards. But, like they say, you only remember the good times.

[Gil Boyd]

Didn't have many of them where we were