Today we are looking at an example of a post war manufactured bayonet frog from Australia. The frog itself is very similar to British made examples from the 37 pattern set, but sized to hold an SLR bayonet comfortably:

It is interesting to note that the colour of the retention loop is different to the rest of the frog, being a much darker shade of green. The design of the frog is clearly for a bladed bayonet as it has the wide opening between the upper and lower loops to hold the stud on the scabbard, rather than the smaller opening for a spike bayonet. It should of course be remembered that the Australians moved straight from the SMLE to the SLR and so never had any need for frogs that could accommodate a spike bayonet:

The reverse of the frog is marked in black ink with a date of 1961 and a stores code:

These frogs were used with the SLR for many years, being supplemented by the S61 pattern with a wire hanger hook later in the Vietnam War (which we will be looking at next year). These frogs remained in use until the F88 rifle was introduced and they were often painted white or black for parade use.