Blue slings on Lee-Enfield's...?

M1Garandfather

M1Garandfather

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
427   0   0
Location
Thunder Bay ,ON vicinity
I've noticed that some No 5 Mk 1 Lee-Enfield Carbines I've seen pictures of have blue coloured slings on them , along with brass hardware...

Anyone know the history of these blue colured web slings?...Where they originated from and were issued by?

Thanks
Bob
 
My CNo7 was an Air cadet Rifle and it has an RCAF blue sling.

I have also seen some Brit slings that look Blueish Grey and was told they were Navy?
 
M1Garandfather said:
I've noticed that some No 5 Mk 1 Lee-Enfield Carbines I've seen pictures of have blue coloured slings on them , along with brass hardware...

Anyone know the history of these blue colured web slings?...Where they originated from and were issued by?

Thanks
Bob
Click to expand...

Google CSE (custom search) on 'blue slings'http://www.milsurps.com/google.php?...%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D25910%26page%3D1#1039

Extensive information and feedback in this particular thread ...

Blue canvas sling http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=25910

Peter Laidler said:
The blue slings are interesting in an., er, interesting way because all Air Force webbing was originally this bluey grey colour. Quite why, nobody really seems to know. But it was! Then in the early /mid 70's Sir Derek Rayner got his teeth into the Forces and told them that all this nonsense was going to stop. ALL webbing and field uniforms would be the same. He also stopped the ridiculous situation where the Army purchased khaki cars, vans and lorries, the RAF that blue/grey and the Navy, well, Navy blue! Thereafter, all cars, busses vans etc etc that would never go into battle were just commercial colours.
Click to expand...

gew8805 said:
You have a "SLING, rifle, web, R.A.F. Pattern 1925". In 1925, the Air Ministry decided to adopt it's own pattern of Mills web gear, the blue-gray Pattern 1925. For reliable information see the excellent "Karkee Web" web site at:

Karkee Web

The Pattern 1925 is located at:

Pattern 1925 Web Equipment
Click to expand...

Hope that helps .. :)

Regards,
Doug
 
"...Quite why, nobody really seems to know..." The colour is known as Prussian Blue. Prussia had placed an order for uniform cloth just before W.W. I. Canceled in 1914, of course. The cloth was laying around until the RAF was formed from the RFC and the RNAS in 1917. The surplus cloth was used for the new uniforms. Hence, everything Air Force became the same colour.
 
sunray said:
"...Quite why, nobody really seems to know..." The colour is known as Prussian Blue. Prussia had placed an order for uniform cloth just before W.W. I. Canceled in 1914, of course. The cloth was laying around until the RAF was formed from the RFC and the RNAS in 1917. The surplus cloth was used for the new uniforms. Hence, everything Air Force became the same colour.
Click to expand...

It was Russia, not Prussia. Their little revolution stopped them from needing it so the Brits jumped on the surplus material and the rest is history.
 
Then we have the black slings of the rifle regiments and the Tank corps.
AND the White slings for parade use
NOT to mention the IDIOT who invented BLANCO.
 
Azure Blue
Russian Cavalry

Source: http: //www.canmilair.com/rcafhistory.htm

Where did the particular shade of Air Force blue originate? Officially it was called Azure Blue, but to others it has a different name. When the Royal Air Force was first formed on 1 April 1918, a major world conflict was reaching its zenith. There was not much time for all the finer points of creating a new element force and many things had to scrounged: uniform patterns were taken from the army, rank patterns were from the RNAS, officers' ranks were more from the RNAS than the army, and many of the traditions were from the navy (RNAS Sqns became the 200 block of Sqns, i.e.. 1 Sqn RNAS became 201 Sqn RAF). But the uniforms colour had to be something distinctive and a blue/grey was looked at as the ideal colour. As stated, there was a war ongoing and where was this amount of material to be had for a new force? Fortunately for the RAF, Burbury's of London had a large stock of a beautiful blue/grey on hand, ready for immediate sale. This material was ordered by Imperial Russia for a cavalry unit, but before delivery could be completed, the October 1917 revolution had overthrown the Czarist regime and the new government did not have a requirement for this material. So the RAF got a good deal on some quality material and they helped Burbury's out of a predicament and the colour code was changed to azure blue.
 
plinker 777 said:
j-man;The colour was ordered in bolts of cloth{wool} by the Russian army from Britain,as it was made,purchaced but never shipped it was utilized by the then virgin air force{waste not-want not} The colour has stuck ever since.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's exactly what I was hoping/trying to say.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom