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Can anyone tell me if The Home Guard personnel blancoed their webbing as did the regular army? In particular, I'm curious about the 9th Gloucestershire (City Of Bristol) Battalion Home Guard in 1942-1943.

I have never personally seen any HG Webbing Blancoed but anything is possible depending on County Regulations.

If you don't already have it buy the bible on the subject 'In the Space of a Single Day' by John Mills and Terry Carney.
Also look for Regimental Histories covering that particular Battalion or Gloucestershire in general. From memory if you search for the Bristol Records Office they do have war-time colour film showing the cities HG. It may be on Youtube. I remember watching it.

While there are certainly directions for what colour the P03 belt and P39 gaiters were supposed to be coloured, there is very little that I have seen regarding blanco. After all what is there to blanco? One pair of pouches, the braces and the sleeve.

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"One evening as an LDV, some German soldiers I did see, they ran like hell, but they couldn't catch me..."

If it's any help to throw into the info', I've an original set of matching '42 dated Home Guard BAR pouches and belt slider from a member of Herts' Home Guard. Though showing wear and use, they do not have any traces of Blanco on. Herts Home Guard were quite luckily in that they appear to have been issued items sooner than most other counties (one of the first to get serge BD to replace denims; they were even also issued US handy-talkies in '44), if Blanco had been issued, then Herts probably would've gotten it! All photos of them appear to show no Blanco too.

To add a slight counter, I have 1 pouch that looks like it has been blancoed in KG3, and when I had it, it looked like it had been in storage in a shed/garage for a fair while.
However this is the only one i have ever seen blancoed, and it have been done in the 50's?

Thank you one and all for your replies. All the information has been most helpful. =S=

I have a pair of pouches that have been blancoed with pea green and I have no reason to believe it was done after use. I have owned them since the late 80s.

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There is a regulation from 1943 that cites KG3 as the new colour for blanco?
Its in one of the booklets, its copied in one of those wartime packs of paperwork, the Homeguard edition strangely.
One of the earliest references to the use of KG3 I have found.

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http://www.afra.org.uk
better by design

"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."

That's very interesting Sean.

I'd always put down the lack of blanco as part of the standing order about not wasting time shining buttons etc.

Of course, the Home Guard in 1943 was an entirely different beast to that of 1940.

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"I saw cities in Europe that were practically untouched by the war, countries that capitulated to the more powerful enemies even before war was declared, but we are not like that. Our grandfathers, our fathers, our older generation, our great leaders, fought here for each building, for each street." - First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on the 70th anniversary of victory at Stalingrad

I found the document.
Home Guard, Information Circular No.33
The War Office 18th August 1943
6. Equipment-authorised types of cleaners
(a) The only cleaner to be used will be that approved by the war office, and is known as "Equipment Cleaner, Khaki Green, No.3(W.O. specification)."

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http://www.afra.org.uk
better by design

"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."

That doesnt say is must be used though, just that nothing else can be used. apart from nothing

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(No)

It may be that someone had asked about blanco and Circular No. 33 was the war office's response to the query.

Peter

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"One evening as an LDV, some German soldiers I did see, they ran like hell, but they couldn't catch me..."

No, it doesn't say must but who said it did?
It follows the line that block type is not to be used on respirator cases, explaining that the waterproofing of the powder type is superior.
It explains that webbing is not to be scrubbed nor bleached.
It lists suppliers and the routes available for COs to acquire a supply.
I only know of it as it is one of the earliest mentions in official documents of KG3 as the approved colour.

_________________
http://www.afra.org.uk
better by design

"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."

Just found this in a booklet of Ulster Home Guard memoirs. Webbing to be blancoed with Pickering's No. 97.

Well that answers another question. When I seen photos of HGs with perfectly "squared" pouches and haversack, I had always wondered if they had cardboard or whatever for stuffing. The first I heard of stitching the top of the cap closed.

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"One evening as an LDV, some German soldiers I did see, they ran like hell, but they couldn't catch me..."

Only for parade though , when they were on patrol the pouches would have been used as normal, thank you for sharing the diagram Brian.

Gerwyn

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