Help to ID this Canvas Item

[maple_leaf_eh]

I'll suggest a machine gun spare barrel or accessory bag. Not Browning family to my eye.

[rob love]

I was leaning towards perhaps a transit bag for the 2" mortar. One pouch could be for the cleaning rod and one for the brush.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Some sort of section-level item, going by the marking written inside the flap: I make it “No 5 PLN No 3 SEC”? Wouldn’t that kind of rule out a 2-inch mortar, as those were platoon-level issue?

[rob love]

Not necessarily. There was a rule in the army that you marked everything, or it was fair game for theft. So within the platoon, the kit was issued to some level. Merely marking it to the platoon means the rest of the platoon would have fair game at your stuff.

Nothing was sacred in the army. It was not uncommon to go out to your vehicle to find the doors gone.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by rob love

within the platoon, the kit was issued to some level.

Platoon HQ, AFAIK, for the 2-inch mortar — so “No 5 PLN HQ” would seem more logical then.

When searching for pictures of carry bags for the 2-inch mortar, though, I only found airborne bags that look nothing like this one.

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Some sort of section-level item, going by the marking written inside the flap: I make it “No 5 PLN No 3 SEC”? Wouldn’t that kind of rule out a 2-inch mortar, as those were platoon-level issue?

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Platoon HQ, AFAIK, for the 2-inch mortar — so “No 5 PLN HQ” would seem more logical then.

In an infantry battalion, No. 5 platoon was the anti-tank platoon which was composed of three 2-gun sections. Each gun detachment had a 2-inch mortar and a Bren gun. HTH.

[rob love]

The leather strip to close the bag is puzzling as is the metal buckle. The British generally used canvas straps and the usual pattern of buckle. I have seen leather used on some artillery associated chests, but not really common on general 37 pattern webbing.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Dan Martel

In an infantry battalion, No. 5 platoon was the anti-tank platoon which was composed of three 2-gun sections. Each gun detachment had a 2-inch mortar and a Bren gun. HTH.

Ah, that way it does make sense. Assuming it is a bag for a 2-inch mortar, anyway