Bandolier Equipment, Pattern 1903 - Belts and Straps
The Bandolier Equipment Pattern 1903 Waist Belt, Mk. I, was introduced with the Pattern 1903 Bandolier Equipment in List of Changes entry §12389, dated 20th October 1903. It is a simple leather strap 1 3/4-inches wide. It is fitted with a loose brass buckle and leather runner. L. of C. §13273, dated 27th November 1905 / 26th January 1906, shortened the Waist belt by 8-inches, but did not advance the mark. This example is not maker marked and is undated. From the Karkee Web Collection.
List of Changes entry §19146, dated 30th April 1917, declared the Belt, waist, leather obsolescent, in favor of the new Web waist belt (see its entry below). The leather Belt's time in exile was only six years, though. It was reintroduced by List of Changes entry §25603, dated 9th January 1923, which also obsoleted its web usurper.
Once reinstated in 1923, this pattern of Waist belt continued in use for many years after the rest of the Pattern 1903 Bandolier Equipment was made obsolete, and in fact may still be in use today. The picture at left shows a Sealed Pattern example of the Waist belt. It is maker marked "D Mason & Sons Ltd, Walsall", and dated 1930. It has two sealed pattern labels, one dated 1961 and the other 1994. This type of Belt was still listed in the Catalogue of Ordnance Stores and Ammunition (C.O.S.A.) as late as 1999, although it has sadly disappeared from the current catalogue. Whether or not it is still being used, this Belt must be one of the longest serving accoutrements in the British Military. Photograph © John Bodsworth 2009.
Strap, greatcoat. (Mark I.)
The Bandolier Equipment Pattern 1903 Greatcoat strap was introduced with the Pattern 1903 Bandolier Equipment in List of Changes entry §12389, dated 20th October 1903. It is a narrow leather Strap 3/4-inches wide and 37-inches long, fitted with a brass double roller buckle. At its midpoint, six further holes were punched, which allowed it to be fixed into the rear buckles of a Patt. ’88 V.E. Waistbelt, which was also authorised as a stop-gap Belt in the 1906 Fitting Instructions. These straps were issued in pairs and were used to secure the greatcoat when it was folded and inserted into the Greatcoat carrier (in Marching Order), or rolled and strapped to the rear of the Belt (in Review Order, or Drill Order). As with the leather Belt, the Strap was made obsolescent, in favour of a web version, by List of Changes entry §19146, dated 30th April 1917. The introduction of a Strap, greatcoat, web necessitated a revision, the leather version becoming Strap, greatcoat, leather. It was then reinstated by List of Changes Entry §25603, dated 9th January 1923, changing in 1924 to a Strap, brown, greatcoat, by L. of C. §A3. Both it and its web counterpart were finally made obsolete by L. of C. §C2836 on 9 January, 1947. This example is maker marked "H.G.R." (Hepburn, Gale, & Ross) and is dated 1916. From the Karkee Web Collection.
The Bandolier Equipment Pattern 1903 Web waist belt replaced the leather Belt in List of Changes entry §19146, dated 30 April 1917. This Belt is a good example of the Mills Equipment Company's consistent policy of recycling older designs - the belt is a slightly modified version of the design originally used as the Walking Out Belt for the Canadian Pattern 1913 Web Equipment. In this reincarnation, the belt is 1 3/4-inch wide and 44-inches long. It has a single Twigg buckle and a sliding brass keeper held in place by a thin web strap on the inside of the belt. The web Pattern 1903 Waist belt had a short service life: it was made obsolescent when the original leather Belt was reinstated by List of Changes Entry §25603, dated 9th January 1923. This example is maker marked "M.W. & S. Ltd." (M. Wright & Sons, Ltd.) and dated 1918. From the Karkee Web Collection.
Strap, greatcoat, web
The Bandolier Equipment Pattern 1903 Web greatcoat strap, like the web Belt, replaced the leather version in List of Changes entry §19146, dated 30th April 1917. As described in the L. of C. entry, this 1-inch wide Strap is similar to the Patt. '08 Supporting strap, but is 37-inches long. Again, as with the web Belt, the Pattern 1903 Web greatcoat straps were made obsolescent by List of Changes Entry §25603, dated 9th January 1923. Confusingly, it was re-designated Strap, web, greatcoat by L. of C. A 3 in 1924 and shown as not obsolescent, whereas the leather Strap was. This was corrected later that year. On 14 March, 1939, this was reversed by L. of C. §B2376, which re-introduced the web Strap and made the leather one obsolescent. Unfortunately, the purpose is unknown, as no explanation was given. On 9th January, 1947, it was made obsolete once again, by L. of C. C 2836, along with the leather type. KW have not seen an example of this Strap.
