Textile/Clothing; Uniform; Body armour/ Flak jacket

Desert camouflage uniform as would have been worn by both the King's Regiment and Duke of Lancaster's in Iraq and Afghanistan, with SA80 assault rifle. Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan wore uniforms made from light-coloured camouflage material called ‘desert disruptive pattern’. The body armour had been developed to defend against snipers, although injuries caused by IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), hidden by the roadside, were common. In 2003, 1st Battalion King’s Regiment was deployed to the Basra region of Iraq on peacekeeping duties to work with local people and the Iraqi forces during the post-war occupation of the country. The Regiment faced outbreaks of serious civil unrest and, although no Kingsmen died, many soldiers returned wounded after the six-month tour. Following the 2006 amalgamation where the King’s Regiment was one of the regiments which would form the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, regular Battalions returned to Iraq for six-month tours. Seven Kingsmen were killed and many more were wounded. In 2010, troops from all three Battalions were deployed into Afghanistan. The cost in casualties has been significant. Britain has been involved in four wars in Afghanistan covering a period of 170 years, Kingsmen have fought in all of them.