Web Equipment for Officers (R.A.F.)
Fitting Instructions
Beyond the detail contained in A.M.W.O. 284 / 1926, no discrete publication is known. This gave basic assembly details, sufficient for a pattern that was not that complex. A.M.W.O. 585 / 1926 set out another mode of wear – “Sam Browne” style – when in Review Order. This used the Brace without loop, connected between a Brace attachment on the left front, angled inwards and the left rear “C” hook. When in Drill- and Marching Order, both Braces were to be worn. A.M.O. A.362/1940 emphasised these details in Para. 6, requiring a a single (right) Brace, when worn with Holster and Ammunition pouch, but both Braces when the Haversack and Water-bottle carrier were worn.
The King’s Regulations and Air Council Instructions for the Royal Air Force, 1939
Although we still haven't found a discrete publication of Fitting Instructions, these excerpts from The King’s Regulations and Air Council Instructions for the Royal Air Force, 1939 do give some additional information. Chap. XXXII - Clothing, Etc., Section I. - General, paragraph 2568. Web Equipment for Officers, sub-para. (1) lists the items of W.E.O. that officers posted to units overseas will acquire, and sub-para. (2) gives a short set of instructions on how the equipment is fitted. Section II - Dresses, paragraph 219, sub-para. (1) specifies when W.E.O. will be worn, and sub-para. (2) gives additional instruction as to how the equipment is worn in different orders. Appendix XVIIA., Field Kit Scales for Officers, sub-para. (c) adds the Haversack and Water bottle , with sling and carrier, to the list of approved acoutrements. From the Graham Tweeddale Collection. This item is presented as a PDF file; you'll need to use your browser's back button to return to Karkee Web after viewing it.
Rog Dennis, July 2010, revised February 2013
