Over the six years in which Australia was deployed in Korea, we saw a number of shifts in field gear and the way in which we equipped the diggers of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR). In this article, we will be examining the general phases and different uniforms of the conflict. It must be stated, that Korea is a period of transition for the Australian fighting soldier, and as such, there was almost endless combinations of uniforms and equipment. This article will largely only focus on the key items that were issues.

We will proceed through each key phase of the war and work through the soldiers clothing from top to bottom.

This article DOES NOT cover equipment or webbing, which will be covering in later pieces.

The British and Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the dominion force left in Japan following the end of the WW2. By the time war breaks out in Korea, BCOF comprised entirely of Australians and was in the process of rotating home. The key unit for our focus today is 3RAR, who were the main body of infantry station in Japan and who would deploy to Korea on the 28th of September 1950.

The average soldier would’ve been wearing as follows.

For headwear, all soldiers were wearing the standard issue felt brimmed hat, known as the Slouch Hat. This head piece was an iconic part of the Australian uniform as well as being highly practical in the field. Other head pieces that were common were Berets. Interestingly, photographic evidence suggest that various colours of berets might have been worn. The main colours being an olive drab khaki and dark blue. As well as these soft covers, the men were also issued with steel Mkii Brodie Helmets for field training. These would come with a net and usually the men would attach some form of scrim camouflage.

Moving down, we have the tunic. The standard tunic issued to all men was the Australian Economic Pattern, sometimes referred to as the P1942 or P42. This uniform was a refined version of the earlier P1917 tunic worn at the start of the last war. The P42 was a more defined cut that suited parade appearance, looking sharper and trimmer. This was a trade off for manoeuvrability, but the issues proved minor. The jacket also featured lower internal pockets, as opposed to its predecessor which had two large external pockets allowing for increased carrying capacity on the soldier’s person. These changes all ultimately contributed to its name sake as an economy pattern uniform, since the removals and more defined shape meant that each jacket required just a little less wool to produce. It is worth noting, some P17 tunics are seen as late as November 1950, though they become incredibly rare the further away from the WW2you go.

Moving down we have the trousers which were standard serge wool trousers, made of the same fabric as the tunic. These were high wasted trousers, with a number of metal buttons both fastening the fly as well as allowing for the attachment of suspenders. The were no belt loops on these trousers.

For foot wear, soldiers wore the p1942 Australian Boots. These were brown leather boots with a double stitched toe section. Under the 1948 uniform reforms, the army opted to convert to black footwear. In most cases, the existing brown boots were simply dyed or polished black, and it was not uncommon for prolonged use to reveal the previous colour underneath. These shoes usually had some for of cleats on the sole, though it was not uncommon for them the have bare leather. Also on the ankle and calf, men wore the P1944 Aust Gaiter. These were leggings produced in the later stages of the WW2, though saw no use in that conflict. They combined the leg support of the US M38 Leggings with the construction and ease of the British P37 Anklet. Also, within the boots the solders wore standard issue army socks which at this stage were brown or white in colour (at least when first issued)

Under the uniform, soldiers would wear a cotton or flannel undershirt and underpants/long johns. Most soldiers also opted to wear a khaki cotton button up shirt. There are three variants of this khaki shirt. The first Is the Khaki Drill pull over shirt carried over from WW2. The second is another similar shirt, almost the same in design except that it has an open front with buttons running the full length. This pattern is believed to be the 1949 shirt, though has not yet been confirmed. The final shirt is either based of, or is, the P1950 British shirt. It has a full-length front as well, but unlike the previous two shirts with pointed pockets, this one has square pocket flaps with tapered corners. All these shirts were Khaki in colour, and green uniforms would not become prominent until the second year of the war.

When 3RAR finally reaches Korea at the end of September 1950, they are equipped with the previously mentioned BCOF uniforms. This remains relatively unchanged until winter with only a few exceptions.

Again, starting at the top, as the months go on and the weather slowly gets colder, many men begin to wear either British cap comforters or balaclavas. These appear more so from mid-November, though both become staple items through out the war.

In the mid-section most remains the same. The only addition appears to be the issue of singlets. Many of these are supplied by the Americans and generally are an OD green or white. As the war progresses, these singlets steadily replace the flannel undershirts.

Lastly, there were a number of variations made to the footwear worn by the battalion. Although the black ankle boots with Aust Gaiters remained the primary footwear, others can be seen. It was semi common to see the use of the British P37 anklets. On top of this, a number of soldiers can be seen wearing the US M43 double buckle boot or the M48 Combat Boot. Both of these were NOT standard issue, and were likely acquired on the march. Furthermore, it must be stated that whilst all these variants have been observed in photographs, their use remains rare and they should not be considered the norm. As the war progresses they becoming increasingly discontinued until by the end they are not worn at all.

The next big changes begin in November of 1950. The brutal Korean winter strikes the peninsular and as the Chinese drive the UN forces south, they are confronted by the realisation that 3RAR doesn’t posses any suitable winter gear.

As for the headwear, balaclava’s under slouch hats are very common, whilst the issue of US M43 Pile Caps steadily replaces the slouch hat. The pile cap has almost become synonymous with the conflict. The cotton head piece was lined with alpaca fur which provided incredible relief from the bitter winds and cold. The m43 pile cap is by far the most common in this first winter. The use of the Pile Cap MQ-1 (identical to the M43, except the front flap is NOT lined with alpaca fur) was seen sporadically through the first winter, though by the later stages of the war it would completely replace the M43. Below the head, the neck also saw some addition, with the issue of US army OD green scarfs.

The torso saw the most additions. Many of the soldiers had bought with them from BCOF a woollen jumper. This, whilst appreciated no doubt, was more designed for the Australian winter and was completely unsatisfactory for Korea. On top of this men wore the M43 Pile Liner. This was a button up jacket liner made of cotton with a thick padded inter lining and an interior alpaca fur lining.  Outside this the M43 field jacket was worn. The field jacket was wind proof and provided great protection from the elements. It also boasted a detachable hood which fastened at the front, providing much needed face protection in snow storms.  As well as this, the use of gloves became prevalent. Most common was the M43 gloves that came with the rest of the American unform, but also British knitted gloves.

Moving down to the legs, men were issued the M43 field trousers. These were over trousers worn on top of the standard service dress trousers. Like the matching jacket, they were windproof and fastened at the ankle to keep snow out. Down on the feet, the US army supplied a number of different snow shows and over boots. The snow and ski boots were usually leather and fastened with a lace, while the over boots were rubberised and fastened with either 4 or 5 metal buckles down the front. Though these new boots provided excellent protection, they greatly hindered the mobility of the soldiers who needed to be able to run at a moments notice. There are many accounts of soldiers simply discarding their new boots within a week o wearing them. The mobility, however, came at the increased risk of frost bite which did prove a problem in the battalion.

The winter of 1950/51 proved to be one of the worst in Korean history. As spring began to bloom, the men of 3RAR welcomed the respite from the cold, though snow would linger until mid-March. Through the course of spring, there were no major changs to the uniforms of the men. They generally wore a mix of all the previously mentioned clothing with very little organisation.

However, with the onset of summer, these became too hot for the new fighting conditions. By June, the men were largely wearing their Khaki uniforms from BCOF. This consisted of the three previously mentions shirts, the undershirts and singlets, and more often than not, WW2 era khaki self supporting trousers which fastened at the front with two buckles. Slouch hats and berets made a come back and the foot wear situation returned to the pre winter normal.

One new uniform to see service was the Khaki work uniform. This consisted of one of two jackets and a plane pair of khaki trousers with a buttoned front. The first of the two jackets was a pre war work jacket which was simple a khaki drill variant of the British battle dress blouse. The second newer version was completely Australian made and began to be distributed by mid- summer. It had a zipper front with two pockets held close with press studs, and no belted waist.

All these uniforms saw almost consistent use until mid-October 1951 when the weather took a turn for the worst and began to get cold again.

From June 1951, the Australian military in Korea decided to shift its supplies to a more British standard of uniform. As part of the newly formed Commonwealth Division, it was an easier and more simple chain of supply to go through the British as opposed to the Americans. This began in July with the issue of new British P1944 webbing, though the uniforms didn’t see service until October that year.

In 1948, All the commonwealth countries had agreed to standardise their uniforms off each other. Australia had been the first to agree to the new Battle Dress uniform, however, production limitations meant that it didn’t see widespread use until 1951. These uniforms had arrived at the Battalion in July, though the hot climate of summer meant their issue was withheld. There first use came mid-way through the Battle of Maryang San, when the soldiers complained of the Bitter cold at night, and so their new P1949 battle dress uniforms were driven to the front lines and worn for the remained of the battle. The battle dress consisted of a top and bottom. The jacket/blouse was a short jacket made of serge wool with a belted waist which fastened just below the navel. It had an open collar which could be buttoned shut if cold weather necessitated. The trousers were made of the same material. They buttoned at the ankle to allow for the easy wearing of gaiters and had a map pocket on the left thigh. This new uniform was superior to the earlier Australian P42 service dress and allowed for easy manoeuvrability on the field.

By the end of November, new winter uniforms also began to be issued. Again, the previous American uniforms were replaced with the British counterpart. This came in the form of the British P1950 field uniform. It consisted of a field jacket, a middle parka, and for extreme weather an outer parka. All three were superior to the M43 and provided the soldier with significant protection for the elements. Under all the uniforms, the men also wore new knitted white vest. These vests were quite open in design. Theye created a breathing space between the skin and the last layer of clothing which aided in insulating the body. A similar design came in the shoes. This winter, many men continued to not wear the snow boots. A common remedy for the cold was to insert a wire mesh beneath the insole which created a buffer zone between the foot and the frozen sole of the shoe. The British also attempted to use a ski boot which was eventually and insulated ankle boot, but the use was not widespread.

In addition to this, there was also a replacement of the Australian wool jumpers with the British varient. These were the WW2 style knitted pull over jumper, commonly referred to as the commando jumper, and saw wide spread issue amoungst the commonwealth troops. 

In 1952, the shift in uniforms continued. The army decided to begin to wear green uniforms instead of the previous summers khaki. This meant that a large quantity of former WW2 jungle green uniforms were issued to the men. There was also a sizable quantity of former khaki uniforms that had been dyed green. Both of these proved insufficient for the men who complained about uniform disintegration and rapid colour fading. As the year progressed, British P50 combat uniforms became the norm. these were light weight cotton uniforms in an OD green colour. The shirt matched the khaki version mentioned in the BCOF section and the trousers were similar in design to the battle dress trousers, though with a cross over fastening around the waist.

A shift in headwear also is noticeable in 1952. Slouch hats become increasingly rare on the front line as a number of field caps become b=more popular. As the war progressed into a stalemate defined by nighttime patrols, the distinctive shape of the slouch hat silhouetted along the sky line was not ideal. Instead, men wore the British helmet comforter like a beanie, US army ski caps, British ski caps, British P50 field caps and Canadian pattern field caps.