This month’s impression brings us much more up to date than most of those I do, with an impression of a member of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on peacekeeping duties in Kosovo in 1999:

Scarily, this is now 22 years ago and so has slipped into th e annals of history. The collapse of the former communist state of Jugoslavia led to civil war as the consituent parts of the country moved for independence and different ethnic groups took it as a good opportunity to settle old scores and massacre those they did not like. Into the maelstrom the international community sent peacekeeping troops, of which the British were a major component. This reconstruction is based on an original photograph of some of the regiment in Kosovo and it is the central figure’s unusal choice of loadout that inspired this impression:

The soldier is dressed in CS95 uniform consisting of trosuers, shirt and jacket. This is worn with hi-leg combat boots and the regimental beret with its red and white hackle. The webbing is a set of ‘Northern Ireland’ chest webbing, worn across the front with three pouches for ammunition and two for a waterbottle and other equipment. The weapon carried is an SA80 bullpup assault rifle (please note that the scope on my reconstruction is incorrect, but I do not have the correct pattern).

1. CS95 Shirt
2. CS95 Trousers
3. SA80 Rifle
4. Beret
5. CS95 Jacket
6. Chest Webbing
7. Hi-Leg combat boots