Webbing equipment
Encyclopedia
Webbing is used to make military belts, packs and pouches, and by extension also refers to the items themselves. The British Army
adopted cotton webbing to replace leather
after the Second Boer War
although leather belts are still worn in more formal dress. The term is still used for a soldier's combat equipment, although cotton webbing has since been replaced with more advanced materials. The webbing system used by the British Army today is known as Personal Load Carrying Equipment
.
Webbing is designed to be light enough to carry the vital things needed in battle and for outdoor survival. It is made so that if the bergen is lost or abandoned, the soldier can survive on emergency rations carried in the webbing for up to 24 hours, although this can be extended if supplies are rationed. Typical contents of webbing include cooking equipment, 24 hours worth of rations, ammunition, first aid or survival supplies and sheltering equipment. Most webbing systems incorporate a degree of modular construction consisting of a yoke (a type of shoulder harness), a belt and a variety of pouches specific to different tasks, for example pouches designed to carry ammunition magazines may have dividers or special waterproofing. Different combinations of pouches can be used to customise webbing to better suit the mission it is needed for. Generally it is unusual for western armies to fight with a bergen and so prior to an anticipated battle the bergen is usually stowed away from the forward edge of the battle area and webbing is used as the immediate load bearing equipment instead.
Webbing belts are also used frequently by modern cadet and scout groups, as well as police and security forces.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
adopted cotton webbing to replace leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
after the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
although leather belts are still worn in more formal dress. The term is still used for a soldier's combat equipment, although cotton webbing has since been replaced with more advanced materials. The webbing system used by the British Army today is known as Personal Load Carrying Equipment
Personal Load Carrying Equipment
Personal Load Carrying Equipment is the current tactical webbing system of the British Army. It consists of a belt, yoke and a number of pouches. Associated with PLCE webbing is a series of other similar load carrying equipment and rucksacks .The purpose of PLCE is to hold everything a soldier...
.
Webbing is designed to be light enough to carry the vital things needed in battle and for outdoor survival. It is made so that if the bergen is lost or abandoned, the soldier can survive on emergency rations carried in the webbing for up to 24 hours, although this can be extended if supplies are rationed. Typical contents of webbing include cooking equipment, 24 hours worth of rations, ammunition, first aid or survival supplies and sheltering equipment. Most webbing systems incorporate a degree of modular construction consisting of a yoke (a type of shoulder harness), a belt and a variety of pouches specific to different tasks, for example pouches designed to carry ammunition magazines may have dividers or special waterproofing. Different combinations of pouches can be used to customise webbing to better suit the mission it is needed for. Generally it is unusual for western armies to fight with a bergen and so prior to an anticipated battle the bergen is usually stowed away from the forward edge of the battle area and webbing is used as the immediate load bearing equipment instead.
Webbing belts are also used frequently by modern cadet and scout groups, as well as police and security forces.