A few years ago the blog covered an Auscam shirt here. Recently I have been kindly given another Auscam shirt by a good friend of mine and I recently compared the two shirts side by side and it was clear that the two shirts were of slightly different patterns. The previous shirt was dated 1994, this example is 1990 dated:
Having spoken with various Australian collectors, it seems the patterns changed over around 1990 to 1991 and it was a gradual roll out of the new pattern, with the old design slowly being phased out as shirts became too tatty for service. This earlier pattern shirt was issued to the Australian Army from about 1988 for just a few years and this example has an embroidered badge sewn on the sleeve:
It is interesting to place the earlier pattern shirt alongside the later variation to compare the two patterns. On the left is the later pattern, on the right the earlier pattern. The most obvious difference is in the breast pockets, the earlier pattern has far more square pockets, the later pattern has them attached on a slant:
The sleeves are also different, the earlier pattern has a reinforcement panel along the forearm, which was deleted on the later pattern. The shape of the cuff securing tab also changed. The earlier design is pointed, the later pattern is cut square on the end:
The final difference between the two patterns is that the later pattern has added a pen pocket to the upper left hand sleeve:
This early pattern shirt is dated 1990 and the label inside indicates that it was made in Victoria and has an NSN printed on as well as a sizes, 100L:
William Dytes recalls:
I was in the cadets for a while, we didn’t like the old flat pocket uniforms as they got damaged a lot easier and looked out of place when everyone else had slanted pockets.
Todd Fitzgerald remembers the introduction of the new uniform:
This is the original pattern issued to Land Army circa 1988. First units issued were 1 Bde (mechanised) in particular the Tattoo Regiment which was drawn from the 1st Brigade, were part of the issue as they toured on the Bicentennial Military Tattoo from Aug – Dec 1988
The trousers are made of poly-cotton, with the distinctive DPCU pattern printed on it, a little faded but still clear and serviceable. The trousers sport a large pocket on each thigh, secured with concealed buttons:
A third pocket is sewn over the right buttock:
Note also the belt loops, each of which fastens with a button on the bottom of the loop. Waist adjustment is by a pair of buttoning tabs on each hip:
The flies are secured with a zip and a button tab:
The bottom of each trouser leg is elasticated, drawing the leg in tight around the ankle where the trousers meet the wearer’s boots:
The Australian Army’s dress regulations indicate that the trousers are to be worn bloused over the boots:
Sadly the interior label is badly degraded from repeated washing so it is not possible to exactly date these trousers, but I suspect they date to the early 1990s. With the matching jacket and the 88 pattern webbing in my collection I have almost completed a full, if basic, set of Australian combat uniform and equipment from the end of the twentieth century, boots and hat are the last two major components now…
The design of the packaging is very familiar as it is almost identical to the British Army version, however the shade of plastic used is lighter, and the printing on the outside indicates it is Australian in origin, along with an Australian NSN number:
As one would expect for a sunny country like Australia, the camo cream also acts as a sun block. The inside of the packet is again very familiar, with three different colours of cream and a small mirror to help apply it:
The shades are however very different to those used in the UK. Camo cream is issued in colours which complement the main uniform soldiers are wearing so here, instead of black, dark brown and dark green, the Australians use grey, a light green shade and a red brown colour.
The colours of the cream, like those of the uniforms themselves, are designed to work most effectively in different Australian landscapes and pick up colours that are commonly seen there. In arid conditions the red-brown mimics much of the dust and soil seen in the landscape, whilst the green shades are better suited to some of Australia’s verdant jungles. When applying the camo cream, troops tailor the shades to the environment they are working in.
This then brings us to the end of the Australian kit I picked up a couple of months ago. I am very pleased with this web set and I am slowly building up a nice little Australian collection- not an easy task in the UK where nearly everything has to be imported unless you can get lucky on EBay. As ever, I will continue to keep my eyes out for more interesting Australian pieces and cover them on the blog as I come across them.
This small pouch is just a pocket with a top flap secured with a press stud:
Two different positions are provided for securing this flap dependent on whether there is a dressing inside the pouch or not:
The rear of the pouch has provision for two plastic locking bars:
These bars have featured a number of times over the last few weeks, but deserve closer inspection. Each bar is a stiff piece of olive green plastic with a pair of wedges on the top edge and little spikes along the inside to grip on the webbing it is securing:
When pressed together sideways the two wedges lock together and can only be undone with a pair of pliers and a lot of effort!
The dressing pouch can be worn in a variety of different places, it often seen on the shoulder straps of the webbing set, but in this instance, mine is attached to the side of one of the Minimi pouches:
Like the other components in the set, this piece was manufactured in 2010 by Wise Pearl Ltd and has an NSN number and /|\ mark stamped onto the underside of the top flap:
Metal cups have a number of advantages over plastic examples; they are sturdier and less likely to break and they can be used to directly heat liquids over a flame, as seen here where some Australian cadets are doing just that:
The only disadvantage is that it is possible to burn your lips on the edge of the cup if it is too hot. Occasionally modified cups are seen with black electrical tape stuck around the rim to overcome this problem. Regardless, troops across the world seem to universally prefer metal canteen cups to plastic examples. The Australian cup has a folding handle that can be extended to provide a place to grip the cup:
This hinges around to rest on the underside of the cup when stowed. It is folded up and has a small sliding tab on the end nearest the hinge point:
This locks into a pair of prongs on the cup body to ensure the handle is secure and cannot move in use- the last thing anyone wants is a lap full of scalding hot water!
These cups are marked with a /|\ mark and an NSN number on the handle, as well as the year of manufacture, here 1993:
This design of cup is almost a direct copy of the US M1910 canteen cup, which features the same folding handle, locking tabs and rolled rim. This design was introduced into Australia with their 1968 pattern webbing set, imported form the US. The design was clearly popular as it continued in service with the 88 pattern equipment.
The most obvious change between the two patterns is the replacement of the webbing loop on the front with a full pocket for carrying a hexamine stove:
Both the front pocket and the base of the carrier have eyelets to drain water out:
The pattern of Auscam is also brighter and slightly greener than the older carrier. On the rear the belt fastenings have changed:
Instead of the sprung metal ALICE style clips, plastic fasteners are fitted instead:
The rest of the carrier is broadly similar in design, borrowing heavily from the US M1910 style of carrier. Two top flaps secure the bottle into the carrier, fastening with a pair of press studs:
The inside of the carrier is lined with felt to help insulate the bottle and keep it cool in the heat of the Australian outback:
This particular carrier dates from 2010:
The US M1910 must be one of the most enduring designs of webbing in history, inspiring dozens of derivative designs across the world; we have covered the 44 Pattern British carrier, 51, 64 and 82 pattern Canadian and 88 Pattern Australian designs which are all inspired by this design and this does not include all the non-commonwealth countries that have also adopted variations of this design.
The Austeyr was the Australian version of the Steyr Aug bullpup rifle and was introduced into service at the same time as the webbing. Each pouch can hold three magazines, with most soldiers having a pair of pouches, allowing six magazines to be carried, giving them a total of 180 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. The pouch is made of a heavy duty nylon, printed in Auscam, with other fittings made of a tan shade of webbing. The top flap of the pouch is secured with a fixed Fastex buckle:
When the pouch is opened it can be seen that this is supplemented by a strip of Velcro around the top edge:
This Velcro makes it very hard to securely fasten the buckle because the Velcro tends to grab and hold the lid fast before the buckle has a chance to fully engage. The underside of the top flap has the markings for NSN number, date and manufacturer, along with the /|\ mark that Australia still uses to indicate it’s army’s property:
The inside of the pouch has a set of dividers to allow the three Austeyr magazines to be carried:
These are secured in place with Velcro and can be folded back to give one large pouch if different ammunition loads need to be carried:
Loops are fitted to the sides of the pouch to allow additional items, such as the first aid pouch, to be attached:
The back of the pouch is quite plain and just has the fastenings to allow it to be attached to a belt:
These consist of two plastic clips and above them a single plastic ring:
This ring is used to attach the yoke to the pouches when the webbing is assembled. Like many ammunition pouches, this design features drainage holes at the base, interestingly here it is two, side by side, rather than a single central one:
An Australian report in 2008 sets out something of the design of the pouch and the doctrine for its use: