British mug colours

[Poiter50]

I'm about to paint a British Light Mortar team (3D printed) and they all have the classic British mug attached to their backpacks. What colour should these be?

TIA

[carlos marighela]

Could be a variety of colours, they were fairly commonplace enamal tin mugs, pretty much identical to popular civilian mugs.

The issue one was usually either chocolate brown colour or white, with a blue lip to the rim. Green was not unknown but you can't go wrong with white or brown.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30016347

[fred]

My understanding of this is that white was more common early war, and the brown ones later in the war - partly due to manufacturing volumes and partly due to the realisation having a white mug on the outside of your pack wasn't the best camouflage.

I went with the chocolate brown colour when I painted my Paras - but frankly they just get a bit lost on the figure - white with a blue rim will look better!

[Poiter50]

Thanks all.

[Ash]

Brown would be the more tactical option, but as fred said they can tend to get lost, being a brown blob they do just blend in.
You could go with the older white/blue rim option for veterans/NCOs, just a thought.
I quite like this bloke with his added saucer upgrade, might also be a plate of cucumber sandwiches at hand to really show the Boche who's the boss.

[bluewillow]

Historically white with blue lip, a babyshit brown and blue (with white interior) and light green

[Pancratist]

I agree that the white and blue mugs stand out much better on the figures.

[dadlamassu]

Do remember that many soldiers then (and when I joined) wrapped string or thin cord around the tin mug and it handle to insulate their fingers from the hot metal. 

The cord was often hemp or thin parcel cord that quickly discoloured with tea and/or soup stains to any shade od brown or tan you care to paint it..

[bluewillow]

Do remember that many soldiers then (and when I joined) wrapped string or thin cord around the tin mug and it handle to insulate their fingers from the hot metal. 

The cord was often hemp or thin parcel cord that quickly discoloured with tea and/or soup stains to any shade od brown or tan you care to paint it..

Para cord was popular too

[carlos marighela]

Better than our American style aluminium 'Cups Canteen' that required a bit of electrical tape on the rim to prevent burning your lips when you drank your brew.  Aluminium is an excellent conductor of heat. Some folk taped the handle as well but you could always pick it up with a bit of scrim.

[CapnJim]

Better than our American style aluminium 'Cups Canteen' that required a bit of electrical tape on the rim to prevent burning your lips when you drank your brew.  Aluminium is an excellent conductor of heat. Some folk taped the handle as well but you could always pick it up with a bit of scrim.

Wusses.  We drank from our cup, canteen, one each without any alteration...

[Khusru2]

We must have been the poor relations in the '70s. We had the plastic water bottle and mug. No tin cups for us.

[carlos marighela]

Wusses.  We drank from our cup, canteen, one each without any alteration...

I knew there was a reason US soldiers had all those medal ribbons. My mate was wrong, they weren't all Boy Scout merit badges.