The key to the 1937 equipment issue was to produce a modern mechanised army, which could be equipped economically, as well as , offering the practicality needed. The French, for example, sent their infantry to war in 1939 in a uniform little changed from that of 1918 and the Germans went for a uniform designed more for the overall looks than any practical consideration as a whole. Both the French and German uniforms were wasteful in terms of the amount of material required, whereas the British issue of 1937 was, while arguably not as stylish, exactly what was required.

Below we have the tunic and equipment of a British Sergeant of the Rifle Regiment. The team at Dunkirk1940.org would like to extend our grateful thanks to Lawrence Taylor of The Rifles Living History Society http://theriflesww1.org/ for the loan of the uniform and the descriptions.