Every so often an item of militaria comes up that defies straight forward identification- this then generates a lot of heat but very little light on the various internet chat rooms and forums. Tonight we are looking at one of these mystery items, the four buckle anklet. I have two different variations of these anklets, one with webbing tabs:And one with leather tabs:Both have brass buckles to secure them with:The changes to design of these anklets mirrors those of the short 37 pattern designs, with the early ones being plain webbing:And later dated examples having leather reinforcements where there is likely to be wear:The early example is dated 1941, with a /|\ mark and a manufacturer of J&AH:

The later version dates from 1944 and was made by NL Co Ltd:This example is unusual in using green leather for its securing tabs rather than the usual brown seen on most British webbing:I have only seen green leather used on WW1 American produced P14 webbing before, but this might be a manufacturer’s variation.

These anklets are clearly fairly easy to find, are /|\ marked, wartime dated and many show signs of having been worn; so who used them? Here in lies the problem as no one seems to have found any definitive proof yet. The best theories are:

• Royal Navy Use- The RN did use high anklets, but these were fastened with Dutch lacing up the side and just a single buckle at the top (see here). I know of no definitive photographic proof of them having been used by the navy.
• South Africa/Rhodesian Army Use- Again there is some sense in this argument as both used high anklets before the war, however these were three rather than four buckle examples. The anklets pictured above also lack the /|\ inside a ‘U’ mark of South African service and by 1944 South Africa were producing their own (low quality) short anklets.
• Dispatch Riders- An outside chance on this one, it would explain the wear, but there are thousands of good photographs of dispatch riders and none so far have been positively identified as wearing these anklets.
• Another foreign nation- if these anklets were produced for an overseas market why the /|\ stamp and why have so many worn examples turned up in the UK?

As can be seen there are several theories, but no definite proof. If anyone has suitable photographic evidence of their use that could finally put this one to bed please get in contact and we will do a follow up and help solve a minor mystery.