Web Equipment Pattern 1908 - Territorial Force Variants

Further Variants

If the T.F. unit had funds to spare, two other patterns of Cartridge Carrier are in evidence, also handed left, or right. Lethern comments that the final form of Patt. ’08 Cartridge Carrier had a fifth pocket added to the upper tier. However, photographs exist of four-pocket Carriers in use with T.F., which are also mentioned in the Gale and Polden pamphlet. These are of two forms, which KW have designated Type 1 and Type 2. The Issue order is speculated to be as follows:-  

Carriers, cartridge, 60 rds, left & right (Type 1 C.L., T.F. Pattern)

This is a standard Patt. ’08 style, but with four pockets for chargers and with the 2-in. extension strap below the Brace buckle. This example is marked to the 5th Seaforth Highlanders, a T.F. battalion and is dated 1909. This very early date argues that Type 1 and 2 were alternatives, not successive developments. From the John Bodsworth Collection. Photographs © John Bodsworth.

Carriers, cartridge, 60 rds, left & right (Type 2 C.L.)

The crop at left is from a T.F. battalion of the Devon regiment, the soldier shown with a charger loading Long Lee Enfield. Note that there is no extension tab, the end visible being that of the Brace.

Carriers, cartridge, 50 or 75 rds, left & right (N.C.L.)

This photograph is difficult to interpret fully, beyond the fact that the pockets do not appear to be tapered. Therefore packeted ammunition is being catered for. It is impossible to see the vertical weave lines that would show that five cartridge loops are woven on the inside of the front face. The pockets do not look big enough for two packets of ten rounds (as with N.Z. Patt. ’11 Carriers), so the capacity here is at least 50 rounds, but probably 75 rounds – the same capacity as standard Patt. ’08 Carriers. No rifle is shown in the full photograph of this Welsh Regiment Corporal.

In 1912, M.E.Co. took out Patent 14,328 to simplify the carriage of the water bottle, the Sirhind Tool Head and its Helve which, in standard Patt. ’08 was done with three separate Carriers. The above is a real nomenclature, taken from the 1920 Price List of Emergency Pattern Stores. At 2s 6d it was 35% of the 7s 11/2d total of bottle, head and helve carriers of standard Patt. ’08 – a considerable saving. Several T.F. units were photographed with this Carrier. By convention, but also with Patt. ‘08, the water bottle was carried on the right side. The bottle here is being worn, unusually, on the left side. The Sirhind Tool Head was on the outside of the bottle, its pick end angled in towards the wearer’s leg. This Devonshire Regiment Territorial has a Patt. 1888 bayonet behind the combination carrier.

The Patent drawings show the helve sleeve on the right side of the Carrier, which would then put the Helve to the front. However, photographs show T.F. soldiers wearing the Combination Carrier on the left side, which was normally occupied by the Haversack. However, the actual product had its helve sleeve on the left side. The sleeve for the Sirhind Helve is therefore orientated to the forward edge of the combination carrier. It is similar to the Carrier used for Canadian Patt. ’13, but was fitted with 2 inch Brace buckles, where Patt. ’13 was fitted for reduction woven 2-in. / 1-in. Braces.

The bottle section is a sleeve, closed off at the base by a short strap from front to rear faces and the bottle is retained in its sleeve by a single, angled strap and press fastener. There was no provision for carrying the combination carrier on the Haversack, as with 1st and 2nd Issue Patt. ’08 Haversacks. This refinement is assumed to have been omitted here, to keep costs down. At the lower edge of the rear face is a transverse loop, which serves to secure the folded-up tool carrier, if this was empty.

Carrier, water-bottle, Mark IV

Many T.F. units were still using the circular Bottle, water, enamelled. (Mark IV.). This diameter was too large to fit the standard Patt. ’08 Carrier, as can be seen at left. From the Chris Pollendine Collection. Photograph © Chris Pollendine.

The Carrier shown – the standard ’08 version - had been designed specifically for the rectangular Bottle, water, enamelled. (Mark V.) and the later Mark VI. Budget constraints mitigated against scrapping perfectly serviceable bottles, so M.E.Co. designed a special Carrier for the Mark IV. The side straps on the Carrier have slipped off the circumference, so have imparted the optical illusion of a heart-shaped bottle.

Carriers, cartridge, 30 rds, W.E. Patt. ’08

The above is a real nomenclature, taken from the 1920 Price List of Emergency Pattern Stores. However, its exact configuration is not clear. It is not clear whether this was intended for Regular or Territorial troops, so is included here for completeness.

Theoretically, this was a two pocket Carrier, holding 15 rounds in chargers, in pockets that were internally divided. Obviously a Brace buckle should be fitted, but whether Diagonal Straps and extension Tabs were present is not known. Going out on a limb and knowing Mills’ penchant for making what the customer wanted, it may even be 3 pockets, each for a 10 round packet…?

Another possibility is a 30 round Carrier, fully fitted out with diagonal strap and 2 inch extension tab. However, the only known example is for an Indian Army contract and is dated 1939. Thoughts were therefore that these were a very late introduction to Patt. ‘08, specifically for Indian Army soldiers of lesser physique – particularly waist size - than the average U.K. soldier.