EPIP Tent
During the North African
Campaign of WW2, many British and Commonwealth servicemen became familiar with
EPIP tents – large, square (or almost square) tents with conical roofs –
although precisely what “EPIP” stood for has proved rather difficult to
discover.
A search of the Internet has
turned up a number of suggestions, mainly recent recollections by the men who
were there in 1940-1943:
1.
European Personnel Indian Pattern
2.
European Personal Indian Pattern
3.
European Pattern
Indian Personnel
4.
European Privates Indian
Pattern
5. English
Pattern Indian Police
and even
6.
Egypt, Palestine and Iraq Pattern
Definition 1 appears to be
the correct one - but if anyone has official proof for a different answer, please let Pea-Bee know
Can't provide 'official proof' but according to the Army Medical Department's Report for 1897,(1898 [C.8936] Army Medical Department report for the year 1897. Volume XXXIX.) British troops stationed in Candia (modern Iraklion) Crete, were encamped in "Indian pattern European privates' tents".
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Mick
DeleteThe actual acronym stands for Extended Pole Indian Pattern
ReplyDeleteInteresting. That's for that
ReplyDelete