British Made L Drum Pouch

[rpbcps]

Came across this on a French website recently, looks in very good condition, hence my suspicion it is a repro. Any thoughts from the web gear specialist on this board?

[Roland the Thompsongunner]

From the pictures it looks to be an original. They did make these and they do come up for sale quite often. The Brit made stick mag pouch is a little tougher to locate

[rpbcps]

1 hour ago, Roland the Thompsongunner said:

From the pictures it looks to be an original. They did make these and they do come up for sale quite often. The Brit made stick mag pouch is a little tougher to locate

Thanks for that feedback.

[TSMGguy]

Yes, right as rain. It was part of "reverse lend-lease". 

[rpbcps]

17 hours ago, Roland the Thompsongunner said:

From the pictures it looks to be an original. They did make these and they do come up for sale quite often. The Brit made stick mag pouch is a little tougher to locate

Perhaps these British made drum pouches are more common to come across, as a lot may have never been issued.

From the date, they would have been produced for use in Europe and I wonder how many American soldiers were still using drum magazines in 1944. Especially following with the production and issue of the M1 / M1A1 and 30 round stick magazines.

We already know the British were withdrawing drum magazines from service in 1941.

Edited October 31, 2024 by rpbcps

[TD.]

I think it may be an original. The detail in the stitching looks pretty good. If it was a reproduction, I believe you would see many more of these for sale in the same like-new condition with different vendors. I don't believe these British L drum pouches are all that common. Yes, they do come up for sale on occasion in the USA but not very often in my opinion. The prices I have seen in the USA are generally a low of $125 to a high of $300 for one in good condition with readable markings. What is the price on this British marked L drum pouch in France?

Thanks for sharing.

[rpbcps]

2 hours ago, TD. said:

I think it may be an original. The detail in the stitching looks pretty good. If it was a reproduction, I believe you would see many more of these for sale in the same like-new condition with different vendors. I don't believe these British L drum pouches are all that common. Yes, they do come up for sale on occasion in the USA but not very often in my opinion. The prices I have seen in the USA are generally a low of $125 to a high of $300 for one in good condition with readable markings. What is the price on this British marked L drum pouch in France?

Thanks for sharing.

Hi Tom,

It was selling for €300

[Roland the Thompsongunner]

Most of these drum pouches are like new as well as most of the US made pouches . I don’t think they were a widely used item after the early days of the war

[RockyB]

I got a hold of a US Avery 1942 drum pouch but unfortunately it was missing the shoulder strap, I thought I would never find one . The other day a found a batch of random British and US canvas items, gators and pouches ect.  Included was a shoulder strap with British markings. Does anyone recognize the markings? I fits on my pouch so I'll go with it until I get lucky and find the right one .

[ron_brock]

WD is War Department and the broad arrow is an acceptance stamp for the British military.

[rpbcps]

17 hours ago, RockyB said:

I got a hold of a US Avery 1942 drum pouch but unfortunately it was missing the shoulder strap, I thought I would never find one . The other day a found a batch of random British and US canvas items, gators and pouches ect.  Included was a shoulder strap with British markings. Does anyone recognize the markings? I fits on my pouch so I'll go with it until I get lucky and find the right one .

The strap looks short, what are the fittings like at the end of the strap, any chance of a photo?

[RockyB]

They appear to be original but I'm no expert. The strap is about 42 inches long.

[rpbcps]

5 minutes ago, RockyB said:

They appear to be original but I'm no expert. The strap is about 42 inches long.

5 minutes ago, RockyB said:

They appear to be original but I'm no expert. The strap is about 42 inches long.

Thanks, it looks like a regular British Pattern 37 strap.

[RockyB]

Weren't those marked Left and Right?

[rpbcps]

6 hours ago, RockyB said:

Weren't those marked Left and Right?

Not necessarily, although usually they were marked with the manufacturers name or initials. The manufacturers details were usually found on all Pattern 37 equipment.

Edited May 8 by rpbcps
Added Photo

[The Moor]

Here is a couple of pictures of mine. 

[RockyB]

That is a much longer strap

[The Moor]

Yes, that strap was made specifically for the drum pouch.  This has been in my collection since the early 1990s. I was told by these were returned from Great Britain after the war as they were lend lease. Then sold as surplus.  This one came from a local surplus store waaaay back then.