Bonus Mannequin - Sapper, Royal Engineers, 5 Brigade, Falklands, 1982

A look at the kit of a Sapper deployed with 5 Brigade to the Falklands in 1982.
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[@RiflemanMoore]

My apologies for the use of the camera audio, having sorted the lighting my lav mic packed up half way through filming.

[@keithdurose7057]

I served there with 11 Field Squadron Royal Engineers. Detached from 38 Engineer Regiment and attached to 36 Engineer Regiment. We sailed there on the RFA LSL Sir Bedivere. After building "Sid's Strip" at Port San Carlos the Sqn was split up on various tasks until the wars end.

[@RiflemanMoore]

If you'd ever consider recalling your memories of the conflict per the interviews previously uploaded on the channel Keith please do drop me a line, it would be great to talk to you.

[@georgeholbrook1886]

One of my Training NCO's in 83 was Frankie Dixon, he went south with 11.. and my first posting was at 32 up at Claro. REspect!

[@GavTatu]

doss bag, i always rolled it up really tight and bungeed it around, kept it a lot smaller.

[@georgeholbrook1886]

Same kit that I was issued with in 1983. Those Mk IV helmets were boody dire, the elasticated chin strap would crush your jaws together, making talking difficult and leaving your jaw muscles aching. We didn't have DPM material for it either just a scrim net. Thanks be to the lord when we got the Mk VI in '86. The large pack was a bag of shite, I quickly bought a Berghaus rucksack when I got to my first squadron. If you wore the large pack and had to go into the prone firing position, the sleeping bag pushed the helmet down over your eyes and you couldn't see feck all! The Ammo pouches were not particularly good either a real bugger to open and close.. 44 pattern with the 'push the dot' fasteners was much better. We never removed our Resi's from the Respirator Pouch/bag.. but we did stuff loads of Mars Bars in there. Never carried a Bayonet on the webbing, or a Shovel GS. And the Poncho carrier was usually worn with the Noddy suit and overboots rolled up in it... possibly the groundsheet/poncho too if you used the two extra straps that came with the 58 pattern, otherwise the poncho was under the top flap of the large pack. The entire 58 webbing was a box of frogs when wet, expanding and then shrinking again when dry...horrible stuff!

[@keithdurose7057]

We g9t bayonets but we didn't have shovels infantry either. Digging in was by using Harrier pins as picks and stripped down helmets as shovels! Our G1098 stores were on the Atlantic Conveyor. At the bottom of the sea!

[@andrewcombe8907]

The 58 pattern pack seems to have been designed by the Maquis de Sade.

[@adamcichawa5920]

Don't know how you are not more popular, probably the most accurate stuff that isn't often said. Genuine respect for you man and keep up the content

[@terry9325]

I remember wearing this kit while in the RAF REGIMENT , I only weighed ten stone on a good day ,I’m sure this kit weighed more than me counting my SLR , two full water bottles and Mars bars 😂😂😂😂😂

[@gavinkempsell5211]

Always very informative & you've inspired me to set up my own manequins.

[@randolphthorbeck1231]

Good evening a very good presentation.

[@andrewclark8513]

Thank you for the videos and all of the hard work that goes with producing them

[@DavidFraser007]

It was actually a comfortable and practical uniform. But the KF shirt collars got a bit scratchy after a few days in the field.

[@michaelamos4651]

Great video . Ever thought of getting a shop type mannequin to show whole kit trousers boots etc. Thanks

[@RiflemanMoore]

I have thought about it but it's not practical a practical proposition at present, something for the future though, for sure.

[@michaelamos4651]

@Rifleman Moore Thankyou. Very understandable 👌

[@peterfoxton2006]

Creaking mannequin ! More like creaking knees for those that had to carry this load.

[@ryanvargus9456]

Nice video! Were there purpose made DPM covers for the Mk4 helmet or were they just self made with cut up DPM material? Mk 6 DPM helmet covers are quite common to see in surplus stores, but I have never seen any Mk4 covers available as military surplus. I was wondering why that was?

[@willjohnson1273]

Would the utility straps fit on the top straps, I ask as I never was issued and never obtained any either.

[@KTM-xz9qj]

I got two in basic but they were to ammo pouches tied back. Around the various loops in the kidney pouches. Never held a sleeping bag on top with then. Only issued two and guarded them with my life.

[@RiflemanMoore]

They would yes, in order to extend them, that is a good point.

[@georgeholbrook1886]

If we used them (and was always issued with them in the Sappers) it was to extend the straps on the bum roll to fit both the Noddy suit and Poncho in it.. the Poncho alone was slack, the noddy suit fitted tight..both? impossible without the utility straps but was a big bag of shite

[@martinryder6910]

Is there any truth a women designed the 58 webbing ?

[@badgertheskinnycow]

Between 1944 Pattern and 1958 Pattern the British army created, prototyped and trialled over a dozen different styles of proposed new web equipment. From those trials patterns I have seen - the 1958 Pattern was by far the best designed. Some of them were really atrocious. So if it was a woman (although I do not believe it was) then thank god she did.

[@davidbrennan660]

Was the Roll Mat not issued at this point?....the Utility Straps can be used to lengthen the Larry Large pack Gonk bag straps so Bag and Roll Mat could be carried I believe.

[@bill8784]

Thank you for the video.

[@willjohnson1273]

@@davidbrennan660 I thought they might be able to extend the large pack straps, roll mats never issued at my unit either.

[@munsterlandoutdoor9746]

Has nothing to do with it, but what goes into the large inside pocket of the smock

[@badgertheskinnycow]

Nothing specific but it's a 'poachers pocket' and so it could be used to carry any soft kit required. However, the smock could also be folded into the larger rear pocket and used as a pillow.

[@georgeholbrook1886]

@@badgertheskinnycow That changed when we got the cheapo unlined combat kit in the late 80's

[@badgertheskinnycow]

@@georgeholbrook1886 the motivation for the updated unlined combat suit was not costs and the mid 80s issue still had a poacher's pocket.

[@georgeholbrook1886]

@@badgertheskinnycow The combats that I had issued to me developed holes after constant ironing.. and NOT anywhere where seams or pressure points were.. they were thin cheap and insufficient when compared to the earlier 1970's issued kit

[@badgertheskinnycow]

@@georgeholbrook1886 I was a regular infantry soldier throughout the 1980s and never had that problem. However, the material of the new combat uniform was intentionally made of a more lightweight material and an unlined design as a result of lessons from the Falklands. By the mid-1980s we were also issued: New boots New helmets New socks New combat trousers and smock liners New cold weather base layers New kip mats New bergens New waterproofs Most of this was also from lessons learnt from the Falklands. Collectively this represented a massive cost and investment. So it is obviously incorrect to say they were trying to cut costs. However, the new combat uniform was brought into service very quickly (with good intentions) and I won't pretend it was not without some faults (e.g. the pockets). Yet the idea was positive, and given that 1968 pattern clothing had also been demonstrated to have some issues, it was a move in the right direction.

[@mikel6517]

It’s hard to believe the poor standard of kit that was issued to Falkland war troops, at least some of them, having to use the large pack

[@badgertheskinnycow]

Forty years is a significant time span to be looking back with hindsight. Consider what the police were wearing and issued in 1982 or what equipment ambulance staff used then. Some major armies for instance didn't even have camouflage uniforms in 1982! Our kit was fair for the time although admittedly the Field Pack was less than adequate tbh.

[@guywithhisownopinion]

Used 58 pattern from 81... its just amazing how poor our kit was and the thinking of the chain of command, etc that they thought webbing basically designed in the 30s with a couple of upgrades was acceptable 40 years after the 2nd World War.