I recently bought a collection of black webbing (Haversack, mag pouches, belt and straps - the 1908ptn haversack was an earlier buy) which is named to the same person. The mag pouches are Canadian dated 1943, however, the markings on the other pieces are either either non existant or too faded to decipher. I believe that the 37ptn items are post war blackened as they appear to have been painted as opposed to the use of shoe polish. The 1908ptn haversack has been dyed, again I believe that this is post war as it has straps removed and was probably used in civilian life.
I am aware that various units blackened their webbing (including Canadian) and this continued for quite some time after the war, my query is whether the webbing was blackened for camouflage / nightime use (I believe this was the case for the Royal Marines in WW2) or for regimental appearance (I believe that many amoured regiments blackened their webbing).
Also I have not been able to find any period photos (Wartime or post war) of the blackened webbing being used, does anybody have any?
Given the frequency that black webbing turns up on sites like Ebay I have been surprised at how little information and photo's I have been able to find on it - I know it's out there somewhere!
P.S. From my internet searching I am aware of the thread on the ARRSE forum and of the excellent website - Karkee Web, however they supply neither definitive answers nor period pictures.
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