Cold weather combat trousers : Warrant Officer Class II C Love, Royal Corps of Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

Pair of British Army cold weather combat trousers as issued to Australian forces during the Korean War. The trousers are made from double thickness cotton gabardine and have a concealed zipper fly and exposed button fastening at the waist. There are a pair of slash pockets at the hip, a patch pocket on the front of the right thigh, a cargo pocket on the side of the left thigh and a patch pocket at the right rear of the trousers. The waist band can be adjusted using the fabric tab and two buttons at each hip. Around the waist are five large belt loops each secured with a plastic button. Inside the waist band are six plastic buttons for the attachment of braces. The seat and knees of the trousers are reinforced with an extra layer of fabric. At the ankles there is provision for the fitting of drawstrings, though they are not fitted in this case. Sewn inside the waist band is a white cotton label reading 'TROUSERS, COMBAT Size No. 4 Height 5 ft (indecipherable) ins. to 5 ft. 10 ins Waist 28 ins. to 30 ins. Seat 35 ins. to 37 ins. John Hammond & Co. (1922) Ltd. 1951 [broad arrow symbol]'.

Associated with the service of Warrant Officer Class II Cecil Love who was born in Sydney on 16 October 1921. Love volunteered for service in the Second AIF on 12 July 1943. He was posted to the engineers with the service number NX201803 and served primarily in the Sydney area.

After the war, Love enlisted into the regular army and he was allocated the new service number, 21323. He was promoted to corporal on 6 January 1947 and to staff sergeant on 1 February 1950.

He went on to serve as a temporary warrant officer class II in Korea in 1953 with the 16th British Commonwealth Infantry Workshop as a member of the Royal Corps of Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) from 19 February to 18 July. After his return to Australia he was discharged on 7 September 1953.