The Oliver Pattern belt is of sturdy leather, 1 5/8" wide, with a snake buckle. The leather is 8-10 ounce ( 8-10/64th" ) and the "snake" head is more duck or goose-like than snakish. Such buckles have been used on sword belts since the 15th century.
The size altering system works on the left side with a loop and buckle. Two rings are sewn into the belt on either side of the snake buckle as attachment points for the shoulder braces. A hole is placed in the tongue of the belt so it can be worn loose, or so I've read. The original belts, and indeed all the Oliver gear, seem to have been of a natural, untreated colour. Old photographs show a lightness of tone against a uniform. One hundred years of sunlight, air, and oils darken the leather down.
The photos show the What Price Glory belt with an original revealing the rivets of the 1915 conversion. The colour difference becomes apparent here too.
A reproduction belt can be purchased at the link below.
Labels: Oliver Pattern Belt
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