a question for the older squaddies (circa 1980's)

[RAPPLEBY2000]

today i remembered something a friend of mine said, years ago,
his father had cleared up after the falklands war, and something strange was issued to him:

(this is where i'm not sure if this was fact or fiction but my friend was convinced).

his dad was issued some small bent wire pieces suposedly to open clothing zips if you are wearing gloves or have cold hands, is this true?
(i do realise the danger of metal sticking to skin in arctic conditions! )

i don't want any, after all most modern zips have cloth tags, just an odd thing that i remembered.

so, is it true or false?

(not important just a bit of military knowlege rattling about in my head with nowhere to go )

 

[addyb]

I'm sure it's possible. I've been known to put small zap-straps onto the zippers of my kit. Sometimes I'll cut up some short pieces of paracord and tie it with a fisherman's knot as well. Trying to undo zippers with gloves on in the middle of winter isn't fun at all. Neither is going to the bathroom.

Adam

 

[boots12]

What was used in them old days were the Big ring pull from Grenades so you could wear your gloves.some are still used today

 

[markw]

My experiance is as Boots says, used to use rings from either Smoke or L2's. Didn't come across any specific issued kit. Did alot in Norway so if it was on offer would have probably come across it either issued or buckshee.


M

 

[lardbloke]

I still use the old split rings on my boot and coat zips. I can never recall any issue peices of metal that were employed as zip pullers and in the day, I used to know the forces kit database pretty well (one of my many jobs). It may have been issued as a special peice of kit sourced from an outside contractor, rather like rucksacks etc.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

prehaps my friend was wrong then, it did occour to me that it would be far easier to permanently attatch a ring or cord as you say, fiddling around with gloves on for a small piece of wire to open your jacket does seem a litle redundant.

i'm wondering what the piece of wire was for now!

 

[markw]

You've probably come across an improvised bit of kit, as even the smoke/grenade rings are difficult to grab wearing the older issue cold weather mits.

M

 

[nickg]

In germany in the late seventies we used to get the kind if wire clips for bathroom shower curtains for our parkas, they looked like a kind of ovewrsized pear shaped safety pin. used to last for a few weeks of hard use before twisting out of shape. They may have been some of those that came his way.

 

[Goose]

Loads of lads used rings from grenade pins, there was a "safety" grenade pin that required twisting before pulling (child proof grenade pin ) shaped like a simple safety pin perhaps this is what he had?

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

In germany in the late seventies we used to get the kind if wire clips for bathroom shower curtains for our parkas, they looked like a kind of ovewrsized pear shaped safety pin.

:You_Rock_
that's the one!
his dad was in the army in the early eighties i guess the clips were a hand-me-down issue from past years.

i guess he was telling the truth!

 

[Batfink]

Smoke Grenade pins. Used in the 80's. Used today. Love em.

 

[nickg]

:You_Rock_
that's the one!
his dad was in the army in the early eighties i guess the clips were a hand-me-down issue from past years.

i guess he was telling the truth!

Glad to be of assistance. Never issued as such. The QM would buy them locally and dish them out to any that wanted them to replace missing pull tabs - which saved the cost of the camp tailor sewing on new ones - purely unofficial. I dont know how widespread the practice was. I was in Armoured Engineers at the time driving Bridgelayers & AVREs so Parka's were general issue, Same with the Tankies i sould think. The foxhounds didnt see too many but the idea could spread i suppose.

Nick

 

[Pablo]

Loads of lads used rings from grenade pins, there was a "safety" grenade pin that required twisting before pulling (child proof grenade pin ) shaped like a simple safety pin perhaps this is what he had?

I'll second that. The 'fashion' was to use the rings on any zipper you could find especially combat jackets.

Pablo

 

[nickg]

Pablo that is an ace signature mate - spot on

 

[Pablo]

Pablo that is an ace signature mate - spot on

Why thankee, sir. It's from the first verse of Byron's Solitude. Only wish I could fit the whole verse in...

To sit on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell,
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene,
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,
And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been;
To climb the trackless mountain all unseen,
With the wild flock that never needs a fold;
Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to lean;
This is not solitude, 'tis but to hold
Converse with Nature's charms, and view her stores untold.

Kind of sums up the nature side of Bushcraft for me.

Pablo

 

[OldBaldGuy]

Man oh man do you make me feel old. If an "older" squaddie is from the 80's, I guess that makes me ancient...

 

[nickg]

Man oh man do you make me feel old. If an "older" squaddie is from the 80's, I guess that makes me ancient...

I prefer to see myself as venerable or possibly veteran, certainly distinguished and definately experienced (but i am glad that I didnt serve in the early sixties or late fifties - now thats "older")

 

[OldBaldGuy]

"...but i am glad that I didnt serve in the early sixties or late fifties - now thats "older..."

Is 1965-96 early sixties, or am I not quite as ancient as I thought???

 

[mercury]

The only problem with using rings on zips was the danger of getting them hooked up on something. I used to use them until I was putting a radio mast away one day and got hooked up on one of the thumbscrews. Nearly ended up as one of the fixtures and fittings !

 

[OldBaldGuy]

All this talk about grenade pins reminds of a day at work (law enforcement in the US) before I grew up and retired. Most of the youngsters I worked with had no military exprience (or common sense, but that is another story). We had a Sgt. who had been acting kind of strange for the last couple of weeks. One day he was conducting briefing at the start of the shift. Sitting at the end of the table, he was mumbling and acting really goofy, both hands in his lap. Suddenly he got quiet, then tossed a grenade pin onto the table. I was out the door like a shot, while all of the kids sat there looking like "what is the old guy doing?" After no BANG went off I stuck my head around the corner (ole sarge still had a gun you know), and he was laughing his *** off. He had spent weeks setting that joke up, and I was the only one who got it. That made me feel old too...