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| Collecting British WW2 airborne militaria |
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Uniforms |
Insignia |
Headgear |
Equipment |
Weapons |
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The sleeveless oversmock 
The oversmock was officially known as the "jacket, parachutists, 1942 pattern"; it was issued on a large scale prior to the D-Day landings.
It was intended to be worn over the Denison smock and webbing equipment; this prevented equipment getting tangled in the parachute lines. It is made from hard wearing green denim material and it has a full lenght brass zipper, set at a slight oblique. Two pockets are placed on the lower front with an elasticated opening. It has a stand and fall collar lined with Angola shirt material and a tailpiece is fitted to prevent the jacket from riding up during the descent. Not all parachutists choose to wear the Oversmock; many found it would mean losing valuable time after landing taking it off. Wartime manufacturers: C.W.S. Limited, L.Harris Limited, H.Edgard & Sons Limited, Cohen & Wilks Ltd, Henri Brown Clothiers Ltd, Wareings (N'ton) Ltd. Wartime variations: No. Post-war modifications: No Note for the collector: oversmock labels are sometimes put in post-war Denison smocks. The string vest 
This is not an airborne item.
The most unlikely stories are told about the string vest. More often than not, this is an attempt to increase sales. It may be called an escape vest; the wearer could take it apart to build an escape ladder. According to Army regulations and vererans it was simply a part of a variety of cold weather clothing such as long drawers, a wool jersey and the Balaclava helmet. It was made of thick white cotton string, knitted into a mesh sleeveless shirt. This mesh texture allowed perspiration to travel quickly onto the next layer of clothing. This created a dry layer of air around the wearer's body, so he would stay warm. It was a very comfortable and popular item among soldiers. A small tag was attached to the bottom stating size, date, broad arrow and washing instructions. Wartime manufacturers: Multi Spring, L.C.C., Lilywhites, Job White & Sons, H & S. Wartime variations: Vests were produced with cloth and knitted shoulder straps. The most commonly seen vest is the cloth strap version. Post-war modifications: No. The parachutist trousers 
The parachutist trousers were issued from late 1942. They were based on the 1940 pattern Battle Dress trousers but had a few "extra's".
The pocket on the left thigh was replaced by a larger bellowing pocket with a rectangular flap held by two press studs and a button.
Two extra pockets were added at the back to hold additional first field dressings. A concealed pocket was placed at the right side to hold the F/S fighting knife.
All pockets were lined with chamois leather for extra strenght. The trousers did not have belt loops.
Wartime manufacturers: Henry Brown (clothiers) Ltd Middlesbrough, Montague Burton Ltd Leeds Wartime variations: Two types of serge material were used; one identical to serge normally used for Battle Dress uniforms and one of a heavier quality. Sometimes all buttons were all from dark brown plastic; at least one manufacturer used dull grey metal buttons. A later version had the large expanding pocket lined with cotton instead of chamois. Post-war modifications: Unknown. Reproduced: Yes. Note for the collector: reproductions of an original label of Henry Browning &Co Ltd Middlesbrough are on the market. Also you may find reproduction labels "Henri Brown & Co Ltd Middlesborough". |
