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First aid kits
were fitted to US army jeeps from mid
1943 onwards but were only fitted to one
in every four vehicles. The kit was held
in a bracket mounted behind the dashboard
between the instruments and the glovebox. |
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| The photo
opposite shows clearly the four mounting
screws used to secure the bracket. I have
not seen an M201 with a first aid kit
bracket fitted in this position or even
the four tell-tale holes, but if you have
then please let me know. |
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The early post-war No. 4 French Army
first aid kit for vehicles (shown below) was
almost identical to the WW2 American kit in the
same box but with French writing. It is probable
that these kits were of American origin like much
early post-war French Army equipment. |
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A later 1965 pattern box for the No. 4
kit (shown below) is slightly larger and has a
carrying handle at the side rather than at the
front. In case you're wondering, 'secourisme' is a directly
translates to 'first aid'. |
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As far as I can tell the last two digits represent
the year of revision for the particular kit and its contents
i.e. 1950 & 1965 examples above and 1986 & 1993 examples below.
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| The 1993 pattern kits were assembled and packed by
E.R.M.M. at Ardentes (36) for the SERVICE DE SANTE DES ARMEES (SSA)
in the case of my example and the contents itemised in the
document below. |
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According to MAT-3943-1 each
M201 included a set of tools, accessories
and spares but the items listed did not include a
first aid kit. This probably explains the lack of
a mounting bracket. It seems likely that first
aid kits were carried in some jeeps but it seems
probable that it was simply stowed away in the
glovebox or in one of the rear lockers. If you
have any further information on this please
e-mail
me.
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 One
final point to be made is that, just because a
first aid kit has French writing on it does not
necessarily mean that it must be of French army
origin. The final example has both French and
Dutch labelling and is actually Belgian army
issue. The box is otherwise almost identical to
the one above. |
