72 Pattern Webbing System

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I have deliberately named this as being the 72/75 pattern in this post rather than the 72 pattern as I have done previously. I have been informed that the term 72 pattern is a collectors’ term and the official designation was the 1975 pattern PLCE set- this name would today cause far more confusion as the pieces are all dated 1972 or 1973 and PLCE is more commonly associated with the 1980s and 90s sets.

In 1975 the MoD doughnuts produced a second trials set that they called the “1958 Mk2”. Talk about confusing!

In QM stores, the adopted items linked to this set were called ’72 Pattern. MoD got it wrong but army got it right. I think the MoD confused the ’75 Pattern with the earlier ’72 Pattern.

Are you sure that there are two versions of the rear pouch? The “flaps” of the pickaxe head sleeve can be folded in above itself, thereby disappearing from view. The poncho rolls up and goes under the rear pouch flap, secured by the two adjustable straps there. The golok is carried, seemingly dangling from the amm pouch.

There are a couple of adjustable straps that connect to the rear of the yoke for carrying NBC smock and trousers. These seem to be very rare. So is the rear pouch liner – which I’ve never seen. Much like those drawstring bags they issued for PLCE rucksack main compartment and side pouches.

The field pack for this set became the “GS Rucksack” after a tad of modification. The frame was deepened, the side pockets switched from the breakable plastic pronged fasteners (on the large util pouches and on the front of the SAS Combat Pack) to an adjustable strap and the buttonhole affair on the “pocket” for the frame was dispensed with.

I’d REALLY like to know what the “buttonholes” on that thing are for…

In the early 1970s the British Army trialled a new set of webbing designed for the nuclear age. This new webbing was the first to move away from cotton weave to a butyl nylon that could be easily decontaminated. The webbing system was a radical departure from previous design and had some innovative features that were not followed up on subsequent designs. The webbing system was officially known as ‘75 pattern’ by the MoD, is commonly referred to as ’72 Pattern’ by collectors and was actually introduced as early as 1971…complicated enough for you? As can be imagined, components for this set of webbing are rare and so far I only have two of the four main components. We kick off tonight looking at the left hand pouch assembly:

- for lovers of Rare equipment -

Webbing 72 was created to overcome the main flaw of webbing 58: its substantial impossibility of being decontaminated in case of use of NBC type weapons. The need grew stronger during the 1960s, when the secret services of some NATO countries obtained first-hand information regarding Soviet conflict strategies in Europe and the research that Russia was carrying out in the field of aggressive chemicals. On the basis of these premises, it was practically certain that the Third World War would be fought in a heavily contaminated environment: cleaning the webbing 58 would have been a truly complex operation due to the permeable and absorbent material with which it was made (cotton). After a first attempt to cover each element of webbing 58 with a nylon-butyl fabric layer, it was decided to create a new luggage by directly using waterproof material and simplifying the design. The "pieces" of the series that were also successful and were produced and distributed on a large scale were the backpacks (GS and Para berghen) and the gas mask pouch

for more info please read this article, by an unmatched industry expert

https://talesfromthesupplydepot.blog/2019/06/05/1972-pattern-butt-pack/