A couple of weeks back we looked at the left hand pouch from the 72 pattern webbing set. Tonight we are looking at a second component from this set, the yoke. My thanks go to Stephen Madden for pointing out where to get this piece from. This component is clearly heavily influenced by the design of both the 44 and 58 pattern webbing sets:The yoke has a pair of heavily padded shoulder straps to help distribute the weight of the webbing and its contents:At the end of the straps on the front are a pair of buckles, like that used on the earlier 44 pattern set:These connect to the small vertical straps on the front of the pouches. The centre of the yoke has the same straps and buckles as the 58 pattern set: Opened up these reveal a metal stud that connects with the handle of a pick axe of shovel:The pick axe handle would then sit vertically down the back as on the 58 pattern webbing. One unique feature of this yoke is the use of plastic tab buckles, much like that used on the US ALICE system of webbing:In this contemporary photograph of a complete set of webbing, the yoke can clearly be seen holding together the components of the set:Sadly I cannot find any stamps or markings on this piece of webbing, but the material it is made out of might have proved difficult to mark at the time. I now have half this set and with any luck I can track down the rest of the set in the coming months.