A Guide to British Far East Kit and Clothing 1944-1945, Beyond the Basics - Part I

[@neilcastell6951]

essential bit of kit, if your in the jungle, my grandfather brought back two machetes from the far east and their were huge ... am guessing almost twice the length of these, i remember the broad arrow stamp but not the maker, (pretty sure they had made in sheffield on them)

[@davidbrennan660]

I love British Luggage leather that is the norm for the era leather work.

[@jjrider6758]

I've got both patterns in my collection, (that's a very nice sheath on your British-made example by the way, I believe the reinforcing at the throat of the sheath is in fact rawhide..) both of these are still relatively sharp and I have tested them on the brambles in a patch of trees at the end of my garden - There's very little difference in effectiveness in use, the Indian-made pattern may look a little crude but it definitely works !..

[@WWIIUK]

From looking at photographs machetes tend to be used less as the Burma campaign moves south as central Burma consits of rice fields. A lot of solders did not like the Indian pattern machete as it would not keep a sharp edge after a short spell of cutting. On occasion the American M1942 machete was used by British and empire troops (especially those on Operation Thursday)

[@jjrider6758]

The US M1942 machete is quite a bit longer than the British and Indian made patterns, so I suppose that gave you 'more bang for your buck' so to speak ?!!..

[@SafetyProMalta]

Now making a big comeback on British streets.

[@willjohnson1273]

Did they make much use of Kukri?

[@olivier3847]

do you know anything about or possibly made a video about british WW2 use of khaki drill uniform with skirt in north africa and/or italy? so not the tucked in shirt or battledress blouse...i've seen only one picture of that type of cut and color from that period

[@olivier3847]

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Men_of_the_6th_Battalion,_The_Royal_Inniskilling_Fusiliers,_78th_Division,_await_orders_to_move_into_Centuripe,_Sicily,_2_August_1943._NA5413.jpg