We doubt if many folk will ever have heard of the Stores and Clothing Research and Development Establishment (SCRDE) which is part of the Ministry of Defence and is tasked to provide Britain’s Armed Services with its needs in the fields of textiles, clothing, personal equipment and camouflage. We think (in 2010) it has now been renamed, but back in the early 1970’s ‘officers’ from the SCRDE were out in Norway developing equipment for the Royal Marines who were training there as part of NATO’s plan to resist the Russian hordes should they decide to invade Europe. Mick Tighe and his fellow Arctic Warfare Instructors were using Blacks and Clan Mountain tents at the time; which were excellent in the snow but leaked in the rain. SCRDE produced the waterproof version we have here. It also has a piece of the sewn-in ground sheet that can be folded back for cooking, thereby avoiding damage to groundsheets from the heat of cooking stoves and allowing any spillage to soak into the ground and not onto items in the tent. Mick Tighe was given this one to trial way back in the 1970’s and forgot to hand it back !!!