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WW1 British backpack USA use?


Phantomf4
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I'll probably get into trouble here but I have to ask these questions, this is a WW1 British backpack, dated 1918 and 1919, Was this possibly used by the USA, The reason I ask this is because, it was camouflaged at one time and it has a name and what could be a laundry code. It's named to a R. Wells and has number 6066 inked on it as well, also has a D stencil painted on it also. So what ya think fellows, used by a U.S. soldier or?

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post-153748-0-84888000-1422147222.jpg

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That is a Pattern 1908 pack, also known as a 'large pack' among collectors. The smaller (supporting) straps look like they were cut down to make it into a backpack. I don't see anything I could definitely identify as inferring US use of this particular example; the UK and Commonwealth countries also used service numbers. The fact that it was blancoed tends to make me think this example was in UK service post WWI.

 

Now some British P-08 series equipment was available* to US Doughboys in WWI, but other than definitive 'graffiti' or provenance, it would be mighty hard to link a specific piece to US use.

 

*I speak of the occasional item.

 

RC

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No problem. If you have an interest in reading about the different UK gear associated with this, I would suggest visiting http://www.karkeeweb.com/.

 

I'll leave this open for a little while, in the event someone has cause to identify your markings as that of a US serviceman.

 

RC

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The P08 large pack cannot be worn by itself as a backpack, it has to be attached to the straps worn with the P08 gear. Someone has taken a pair of P37 straps and attached them to the large pack so it can be worn as a conventional backpack. I know this because I did the exact same thing! I reenacted WWI British cavalry that wore the P03 leather gear, which did not include a large pack. So I rigged up the pack just to carry gear from the car to the battle site. I never pretended it was part of the uniform.

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Since there is no way to prove this was issued to a US soldier, I will now close the thread in keeping with forum rule 7.

 

RC

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