Vintage Army Kit - Bag. King ' S Shropshire Light Infantry. Military Cross, Korea.
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:14473802 | Country/ Organization: Great Britain |
| Service: Army | Type: Bags |
| Era: 1945-Present | Conflict: Korean War (1950-1953) |
VintageBritish Army kit-bagNamedofficer of King’s Shropshire Light InfantryAwarded Military Cross forgallantry in Korea, 1951Asyou can see, this kit-bag is stencilled in large white letters, with the name ofits original owner, Lieutenant Andrew Borwick of the First Battalion, King’sShropshire Light Infantry (KSLI). Lt. Borwick (397815) was awarded the MilitaryCross in 1951 for gallant and distinguished services during the Korean War.Iguess if you’ve visited this listing you proba...bly already know something of theKorean War of 1950 – 53 but just in case not, I summarise briefly here. TheKorean War was effectively “unfinished business” from the end of World War II, which left the island of Korea split – theoretically temporarily – betweenoccupying forces of Russia in the north and the USA in the south. The occupyingforces had withdrawn by the end of 1949 but antagonism remained between the DemocraticPeople's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in thenorth and its southern neighbour (now known as South Korea) remained. Almostinevitably, in 1950, military conflict flared between the two occupying halvesof the nation, when the DPRK launched an invasion of the south. China soon weighedinto the fight on the side of the north while a United Nations force, led bythe USA sought to re-establish the border. The UK quickly emerged as the mostsignificant ally of the US in numerical terms. In all, 90, 000 UK troops servedin Korea, many of them National Servicemen. By 1952, it was clear that therewas going to be no decisive military outcome and the border situation graduallyreverted to the status quo (as it remains to this day). Just over 1, 100 Britonswere killed during the Korean War, as were almost 40, 000 US servicemen. Across both sides of the borderand including civilian deaths, a staggering2.5 – 3 million Koreans lost their lives.Thekit-bag is in well-used condition as you can see. It is however, made from seriouslyheavy duty canvas and is still in good sturdy condition. There is only one verysmall area that I can see where around two inches (5 cms) of the stitching hascome undone. The carrying handle is still in strong, undamaged condition (seeimage). The bag was very dirty when I got it but I have cleaned it prettysuccessfully inside and out with a soap and sponge (I didn’t want to put it inthe washing machine for fear of damaging the stencilled details). There are afew very small holes here and there where I guess sharp objects have piercedthe canvas (see images) and two of the eyelets are missing at the top of thebag (one example shown above). The original drawstring is not present. Thekitbag is 35 inches long by 16 inches wide (68 x 40 cms approx). The secondlast image with the paperback book should give a sense of scale.I can't find any record of Lt Borwick having served during the Second World War by the way, so I guess he was too young. The kit-bag is however of the same type as was used during WWII, so it could still be suitable for re-enactment purposes.
Alsoincluded in this sale is a tatty cardboard baggage label with Lt Borwick’sname, for a flight on Britavia Airlines (see final image above). This label wasinside the bag when I got it. Britavia was an early British aviation companywhich was in business under that name only from 1954 to 1960. Britavia operateda small fleet of cargo and passenger aircraft. One of the core components ofits business was to provide troop transport for the British Army. Presumablythe label was once tied to the bag. The destination is given as London but nocountry of departure is given. The label is not dated.UK Postage and packing: £12.00International postage andpacking: Postage charges to international destinations are given below. All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximumcharges. If postage and packing costsless than these estimates, I will refundthe difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more.Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for atracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyerswould prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can.Please contact me for a quote.Ihope this description has given you enough to go on but should you require anyfurther information, or more images, please do e-mail. Please also look carefully at the hi-resphotos – they are part of the description. Thanks for your interest in this auction and good luck if you decide tobid.Pleasenote: I will not respond to requests toclose the auction early regardless of the value of the offer made. Ending early is contrary to both theprinciple and spirit of an auction. It is also unfair to other eBayers who maybe watching the auction intending to bid at a later time.Wwii ww2 ww11 world war ii world war 2 worldwar 11 re-enactment reenactment US Army 38th Parallel
Alsoincluded in this sale is a tatty cardboard baggage label with Lt Borwick’sname, for a flight on Britavia Airlines (see final image above). This label wasinside the bag when I got it. Britavia was an early British aviation companywhich was in business under that name only from 1954 to 1960. Britavia operateda small fleet of cargo and passenger aircraft. One of the core components ofits business was to provide troop transport for the British Army. Presumablythe label was once tied to the bag. The destination is given as London but nocountry of departure is given. The label is not dated.UK Postage and packing: £12.00International postage andpacking: Postage charges to international destinations are given below. All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximumcharges. If postage and packing costsless than these estimates, I will refundthe difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more.Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for atracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyerswould prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can.Please contact me for a quote.Ihope this description has given you enough to go on but should you require anyfurther information, or more images, please do e-mail. Please also look carefully at the hi-resphotos – they are part of the description. Thanks for your interest in this auction and good luck if you decide tobid.Pleasenote: I will not respond to requests toclose the auction early regardless of the value of the offer made. Ending early is contrary to both theprinciple and spirit of an auction. It is also unfair to other eBayers who maybe watching the auction intending to bid at a later time.Wwii ww2 ww11 world war ii world war 2 worldwar 11 re-enactment reenactment US Army 38th Parallel
