British Officer & Italian Infantry WW2

As with the ordinary soldiers, the British officers wore new uniforms and kit at the start of the Second World War. These particular trousers, they're what's known as a 1940 pattern. If you look at the the map pocket on the left leg, the button on the flap is now showing on the early ones they were hidden under cover, but they did away with that because for economy reasons to make it quicker to make the uniforms. Well this chap's actually wearing one of the early battle dress blouses, that still has the pleats on the pocket and the buttons are hidden. On the later 1940 pattern the pleats had gone and the buttons were showing. Then we've got his new webbing equipment, the 37 pattern webbing equipment. In the holster that's for his Webley 38 pistol, above that the small pouch there that's for his ammunition. Then on the other side there's another pouch that looks the same but that's for the compass and inside there there's a thick felt lining to protect the compass, that's how you can tell the two different pouches. Then underneath that in the other pouch that's for these binoculars. When they were making the TV series Dad's Army, they couldn't find enough of the official Home Guard ammunition pouches, they were quite rare. So if you look at the programme, go back and look at the old programmes, you'll see that they used these binocular cases instead because they were more readily available at the time. On his shoulders he has the regimental flashes and on his epaulets they've got the three pips, that's to denote he's a captain. Now whether they would wear those brightly coloured badges and insignia on active service, I'm not sure, so if anybody knows that just please let me know. Then he's wearing just the normal general service cap for officers. The officers would also be issued with a special haversack, that was for keeping important documents and maybe keep the sandwiches in there as well, I don't know. Then next to that, that's the map case, the brown wooden board with the clips on the side, you just clip the maps to that. Then just behind that, just in that side, that's just the ordinary water canteen like everybody else had. Back in 1935, before the Second World War started, the Prime Minister of Italy, Benito Mussolini, decided he wanted to expand the Italian Empire and the country he chose to attack first was Abyssinia, which is now Ethiopia. That was ruled by the Emperor Haile Selassie at the time and he chose that because on either side of Abyssinia is Somalia and Eritrea and they were already Italian colonies. Also another reason why he chose Abyssinia, back in 1896 the Italians had suffered a very embarrassing defeat by the Abyssinians, so he partly was to get revenge as well. By 1936 the country was conquered, but not after he'd had to use chemical warfare to help to win the war, he actually used mustard gas as well. Probably one of the only times around that era that poisonous gas was used. The main part of the boots worn by the Italians in the Second World War were rough out leather, then they had a polished leather section on the toes in brown leather. These boots are actually original from the Second World War, but they've never been used. They have just a few storage marks on them, but they are a whopping size 13, so that's probably why they've never been used. I can't imagine there were many people of that size in that era. Also at the Second World War the Italians were still using puttees and then they wore the baggy pantaloons. Now the rifle, that's the Caccano, which has a six round fixed magazine. It was introduced in 1891 and made right up till 1945, but was still used for a long time after that as well. Then on the right hand side of the uniform is the gas mask in its case, then we have the two leather ammunition pouches. They're fastened to the belt, and the buckle on the belt is a really complicated way of fastening. I have struggled with that and I still don't think I've got it right, but I did the best I could with that. Then there's a leather strap that goes around the neck and connects up to the ammunition pouches just to take the weight. Now the uniform is in a bluey green colour and it's made from a really top quality woollen material. It's really soft and comfortable to wear, not like the British battle dress blouses of the time. Then there's insignia on the collars. The insignia, they're replicas, just something I found just to make it look a bit decent. Then they always wore a collar and tie, not ideal for modern warfare, but that's the way it was. Then we have the steel helmet, that was painted in bluey green as well, just like the uniform. Then we have the backpack, underneath that is strapped the camouflaged poncho, then all around everything else is a woollen blanket. That is original, it's a bit big, I struggled to make it small enough to fit around, but that's the best I could do. Inside the woollen blanket there's a monogram stitched into the material, right there in the middle. I've taken the backpack off so then you can see the water canteen and a better look at the gas mask. The water canteen, that's made of aluminium with a felt cover over it. The carrier for the entrenching tool and the bayonet was a double frog, it's like two leather frogs fastened together, one for the entrenching tool and one for the bayonet, and then the spade that has two slots cut into it, and there's a leather strap attached to the bayonet frog which goes through to hold it into place. They would also have a mestimo, that would normally be in the rucksack so you wouldn't see that. The Italian soldiers were also fitted with sun helmets when they were out in the desert, like it should have a badge on it, but this one came without one. This particular rifle, this is deactivated and it's dated 1933, you can just about make it out there.