M1956 pistol belt and anti-flash bag : Chief Petty Officer Signals Yeoman D J Perryman, HMAS Tobruk (II)

M1956 pistol belt made from 56 mm-wide olive drab cotton webbing, adjustable in length from both ends. The belt is fitted with a blackened ball fastener buckle system and four brass sliding keepers impressed with a broad arrow. The belt features three rows of metal eyelets for the attachment of pieces of equipment and adjust the belt size. Written on the inside in black ink is. 'PERRYMAN'. Also printed in black ink on the inside are several illegible numerical figures and a broad arrow. A khaki cotton pouch containing a small torch, anti-flash hood and gloves is threaded onto the belt at the rear. The bag has a single flap opening and Velcro seal. Sewn on the body of the bag is a white identification tag with 'CPOSY PERRYMAN' written in black ink. Sewn onto the flap is an embroidered white cotton badge featuring a Queen's crown over crossed signal flags. The hood is white cotton with elasticised circular hole in the front for the face. Over the lower portion of the opening is a mesh weave. Inside is sewn a maker's label (Compton Webb Ltd) that includes cleaning instructions. The gloves are soft grey leather to the wrist sewn to elasticised white cotton elbow-length sleeves.

Webbing belt and anti flash bag worn by Chief Petty Officer Signals Yeoman (CPOSY) Duncan John Perryman of HMAS Tobruk during his service in Somalia, and later in HMAS Success. The bag contained his anti flash hood, gloves and a small torch, spare AA batteries and a shell dressing. UNOSOM II (United Nations Operation in Somalia) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia. It ran from March 1993 until March 1995. UNOSOM II carried on from the US-controlled (but UN sanctioned) UNITAF, which had in turn taken over from the UNOSOM I mission.

All three of these interventions were aimed at creating a secure enough environment for humanitarian operations to be carried out in the increasingly lawless and famine-struck country. The RAN played an important part in the UNOSOM deployment, transporting the battalion group equipment, vehicles, and some troops, to Somalia on board the training ship HMAS Jervis Bay and the heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk. Tobruk subsequently remained in the area providing logistic support to the Australians and UNITAF, and conducted surveillance off the Somali coast. Its helicopter was used in ship-to-shore transport of personnel. Tobruk was also used by land forces for rest and recreation.