No. KG3 Khaki Green (Dark)
There is much debate on when exactly KG3 came into use. And truth to tell, evidence is more and educate guess rather than fact. For sure, photographs taken from D-Day onwards seem to show dark webbing and what colour photographs there are indicate this as well so it supposed they adopted the darker colour as being more appropriate camouflage for action in north-west Europe. It is inconceivable that all British forces were issued with new Blanco in the days of preparation for D-Day, one would have thought they had more important things to think of. Therefore the best one can say is that sometime between Dunkirk and D-Day KG3 became the universal colour for working kit unless summoned to sunny climes. Of course, various other colours will have continued in use for parade kit, as regiment traditions.
Interestingly, the Canadians used their own dark green web cleaners which were a similar shade to KG3 and this was available from at least 1939. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles of Canada had orders to use dark khaki green on their gear as early as Nov 1943.
………………………………………
Wrapper for Khaki Green No. 3
This contained the latter style of mould with a shallow dished surface rather than the old style deep well mould. This particular wrapper is certainly post-1936.
Wrapper for No. KG3 Khaki Green (Dark) following naming rationalisation (formally called Khaki Green No. 3). This wrapper carries the numbers of 12/48 in the bottom right hand corner which is quite possibly the wrapper date indicating product was supplied in this form after WWII, if not before 1948.
………………………………………
A sprinkler tin of KG3. This product is unbranded and doesn’t carry manufacturer information either. It is of the ‘Mills’ type, authorised for use on respirator haversacks, so presumably manufactured as a colour in a soluble base rather than the clay based solid Blanco. However, a similar can was found in amongst product supplied to StigRoadie from the factory archives so it can be assumed to be a Pickerings manufactured product.
Photos: Adrian Stevenson
………………………………………
Post war ‘dry and crumbly’ KG3 shipping box for 12 5 ounce moulds. Moulds were wrapped in plain brown paper without branding although the product itself has the embossed ‘Blanco – made in England’.
Photo: StigRoadie
Photo: StigRoadie
Photo: StigRoadie
Box label:
HA/12802
POWDER CLEANING
WEB EQUIP 12-X-5-OZ
BLKS-SHADE K.G. NO 3
QTY
Note: The stores code of HA/12802 continued to be used for the ‘hard and waxy’ KG3 which was to come later.
………………………………………
A can of powderd KG3 branded as ‘Pickerings’ and therefore could be contemporary with the last product line of use-straight-out-of-the-tin Pickerings web cleaner.
Again, it is of the ‘Mills’ type, authorised for use on respirator haversacks, so presumably manufactured as a colour in a soluble base.
Photo: StigRoadie