Porous Metal Laminate is utilized in the manufacture of a combustion chamber for a gas turbine engine. The laminate has passages, which connect with ambient atmosphere through holes. The arrangement creates local relatively thick portions or lands that cause stress concentrations along the passages and lines of holes. The pockets are machined in the rear face of each land so as to reduce the differences in thickness of the laminate and thereby ensure the more even distribution of stresses. An improved method for coating a porous metal laminated structure has airflow holes on the coated side of the structure.