Utility Pouch Rear – Webbing – Pattern 37 – MILITARY 37

The Pouch, utility, rear, with loop was the same size as the Front pouch, fitted with the same buckle, but with a wide fairlead at the base of the rear face. The waist strap was threaded through this, to connect with the 1-inch buckle on the Front pouch. The Utility Pouch was introduced by List of Changes No. L. of C. §B1624, with the statement that they could be “…worn over either the patt. ’08 or the patt. ’37 web equipment…” – note the lack of capitals! As such, they were not given any Pattern Year nomenclature. It was an oversized Basic pouch, which could contain three Bren magazines, to the Basic pouch’s two magazines. This was settled-on as the best way to supplement ammunition carriage for the Bren L.M.G., Boys A.T. and 2-in. O.S.B. mortar. It could also take a Mark VI water bottle. Where the Basic pouch had a 1-in. 4-bar buckle (Buckle, brass, 1-in. with loop) at the top rear, the U.P. had a 3-bar buckle, of 1 1/2-inch strap accommodation, on a correspondingly wider chape / fairlead. At the bottom rear face, a 1-inch wide waist strap was stitched, carrying a 1-inch buckle. Viewed from the rear, the buckle extended to the right. On some early supplies, loops for ballistite cartridges were stitched to the underside of the lid.  When Patt. ’08 W.E. was made obsolete by L. of C. §C2568, there was no need for a nomenclature change, but L. of C. §C4686 finally made them part of Patt. ’37 in 1951.Although sourced through the Australian Department of Defence, all are Canadian Made.