Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914 - Belts, Braces, and Straps
Waist belt
The Pattern 1914 Waist belt was introduced with the Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914 in List of Changes entry LoC 16977, dated 30 August 1914. The Waist belt is 2 1/4-inches wide and was originally issued in two lengths, 42-inches and 48-inches respectively. It has a snake buckle fastening, two 2 1/4-inch side buckles, two rear straps with 1-inch buckles, and two rear straps without buckles. It can be adjusted from each end so that the rear straps can always be centered. As with all leather parts of the Pattern 1914 Infantry Equipment, the color was changed from "Service Brown" to the darker "London Brown" by List of Changes entry LoC 17219, 31 December 1914 / 30 March 1915. This undated example is in London Brown. List of Changes entry LoC 17220, dated 9 April 1915, added a third "Extra large " size, which is 52-inches
Braces
The Pattern 1914 Braces were introduced with the Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914 in List of Changes entry LoC 16977, dated 30 August 1914. Except for the color change from "Service Brown" to the darker "London Brown" by LoC entry 17219, 31 December 1914 / 30 March 1915, they remained unchanged throughout their service life. Each of the interchangeable Braces is a single strip of leather 53-inches long by 2-inches wide, shaped to 1-inch wide at the ends. Each is provided with a 2-inch tongued brass buckle for attaching the Pack or Haversack. This pair is dated 1915 and maker marked "H.G.R." for Hepburn, Gale, and Ross, one of the largest manufacturers of Pattern 1914 Infantry Equipment.
The Pattern 1914 Pack straps were introduced with the Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914 in List of Changes entry LoC 16977, dated 30 August 1914. They are 27-inches by 1-inch wide and are fitted with tongued buckles. The Pack straps are designed to attach to the the 1-inch tabs without buckles at the rear of the Waist belt, after these tabs have been passed through the loops at the bottom of the Pack and attached to the lower 1-inch chapes on the rear of the Pack. After attaching to the tabs, the straps cross over the Pack and attach to the 1-inch chapes at the top rear. Together the tabs and Pack straps form a cradle which transfers the load of the Pack from the shoulder to the waist. As with all leather parts of the Pattern 1914 Infantry Equipment, the color was changed from "Service Brown" to the darker "London Brown" by List of Changes entry LoC 17219, 31 December 1914 / 30 March 1915. Except for the color, the Pack straps remained unchanged throughout their service life. The Straps shown here are interesting Service Brown examples. They are not a matched pair. In the picture far left, the one shown on the outside (buckle above) is British made, while the Strap on the inside is American. The picture of the buckles, near left, shows the difference. In this picture, the British example is on the left. You can see the typical British military tinned brass hose rivets. The American made example uses the single piece steel rivets seen on US made pieces of Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914. Neither strap is maker marked or dated. From the Steve Hewitt collection. Photos © Steve Hewitt 2009.
I have not yet found any documentation for the webbing variation of Pack straps for the Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914, but they are known to exist, and original Great War photos show them in use. They are not common, though, and this is the first modern picture that I have ever seen. This pair is unmarked and undated. From the Paul Hannon collection. Photo © Paul Hannon 2009.
And now, a second (and slightly different) pair has appeared. Also unmarked and undated, these straps have sewn-on buckles, instead of rivetted ones like the pair shown above. From the Jeff Hollenbeck Collection, photos © Jeff Hollenbeck 2009.
