A soldier’s paybook was an important document that had to be carried on his person at all times. Being made of card and paper it was vulnerable to damage so small cloth sleeves were issued to protect them:

The bag was sized to allow the paybook to slip in snugly:

The top inch and a half of the bag can be tucked under to seal up the paybook and protect it from damage:

This cover is faintly stamped on the inside and I believe it is dated to 1943:

For something that I assume was very common when it was produced, these paybook covers are not easy to find today and this is the first one I have come across in my collecting career. It is this voyage of discovery, finding new and unexpected pieces of militaria, that I love about this hobby as there is always a new discovery to make, a new piece to find.