1958 pattern webbing was a modular based personal equipment system issued to the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from the 1950s up until the mid 80s. It replaced the 1937 Pattern Web Equipment

1937 Pattern Web Equipment

1937 Pattern Web Equipment was an item of military load-carrying equipment. It replaced the 1908 Pattern and 1925 Pattern—on which it was based—and was standard issue for British and Commonwealth troops from its introduction in 1937, throughout World War II, and in the post-war period until it was...

 that had served the UK's Armed Forces through the Second World War and the first decade of the cold war

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

. It was in turn gradually replaced in the 1990s by the current issue '95 Pattern 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...

 (PLCE), though today it can still be seen in use by the UK's Cadet Forces.

Components

A general issue of 1958 Pattern webbing consisted of a belt, yoke, ammunition pouches (left, with provision for an SLR bayonet, and right, with a pouch to the rear for a rifle grenade), a water bottle pouch, a pair of kidney pouches, a poncho roll and a large pack.

There were a number of ancillary pouches available for specialist tasks, e.g. pistol holster to hold the issue Browning Hi-Power, compass pouch.

All components in the system are made from a sturdy and tight-woven canvas fabric in a dark olive green. The metal fittings are aluminium, anodised dark green.

In its basic and standard configuration, each of the belt-mounted components is secured to the belt by a pair of double hooks (one double hook only in the case of the compass pouch) at the rear, hooked over the belt above and below, with the ends of the hooks further retained in canvas pockets at the rear of the belt. However, variations are to be found - including water bottle pouches and ammunition pouches for non-standard personal weapons fitted with a canvas loop into which the belt is threaded, rather than the metal hooks. This method of attachment allows the pouch to be moved around the belt for the comfort of the user, for example when sitting for long periods.

Several of the individual components evolved over the lifetime of the 1958 Pattern system. There were three iterations of the standard (SLR) ammunition pouches, two of the water-bottle pouch, two of the poncho roll.

Usage

The equipment was worn in a series of combinations. Weapon Training Order (or Skeleton Webbing) consisted of Belt, Yoke and Ammunition pouches. Combat Equipment Fighting Order (CEFO), was the term used for the full webbing system and once the Large Pack was attached, it became Combat Equipment Marching Order (CEMO).

Over the course of its service, there were a number of developments and modifications. When the system was originally designed, little scope was given to Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical warfare and when this was addressed, the system gained a respirator haversack to house the then issue S6 NBC Respirator

S6 NBC Respirator

The S6 NBC Respirator was the protective gas mask issued to the British armed forces. It was developed in the 1950s and used from the 1960s up until the introduction of the current-issue S10 in 1986, after which it was withdrawn from mainstream service, but some still remain in service with RAF...

.

72 Pattern webbing

72 pattern webbing

72 pattern webbing

The 1972 Pattern Webbing was a webbing intended to replace the 58 pattern webbing, but never got beyond user trials. It was made from PU coated nylon to counter the Soviet NBC capability, and was designed to be used anywhere from Europe, to Jungle or Desert environments and adjustable to be worn on...

A proposal to replace the 58 pattern was the 72 pattern.

Current uses

58 Pattern is held in stores by a number of County Cadet Forces to replace aging stocks of 37 Pattern webbing which were still on issue in the late 1990s. The belt in particular seems to survive as an unofficial form of dress (replacing the general issue Working Belt) by older soldiers when worn with Combat Soldier 95 clothing.