Touching on a soldiers load-well an infantry man of either WW1 or today-a lot of kit is needed just to survive, and often the immediate action is only a prelude to holding the ground hopefully won.

So thinking back to the fifties-yes I am that ancient!

Aside from the basic battle order-of pack, water bottle, ammunition pouches, and personal weapon-oh yes bayonet too.

There would be a pick or shovel, probably an extra bandolier of ammunition--possibly a couple, two HE grenades, maybe an incendiary bomb-: then just as you thought life was interesting enough-a couple of mortar bombs would be added. besides shared amongst the lads would be such fun things as 2"mortars and their bombs-boxes of bren magazines--too such things as radios and batteries, very pistols and cartridges--the list goes on and on.

An enormous weight, which has been picked upon by some as being unfair on the soldiers and not giving them a chance to get across no man's land. However without that weight-they would not have stood a chance when the counter attack came in-and that was German policy-an immediate counter attack.

Now after ninety years we have personnel carriers-helicopters and all sorts of ways of riding into action-so by now it stands to reason that the soldiers load must be a lot lighter--does any modern soldier believe that?

James