Leather Satchels - Part three

The leather satchels I've been developing have gone through their test-runs over the past year and have done what I wanted them to do. I can hold everything I want to on a daily basis and they have become richer with each passing week. 

Now the models I've sent to Ashok have been worked into three sizes and two styles. The sizes are small, for a normal 3-ring binder and an iPad; medium, to take a 13" laptop; and large, for a 15" laptop.

The styles all have inner and outer sleeves to fit the laptops, but style 2 has an additional long pocket for wallets, cheque books and rulers....or whatever. (See below). The leather is tanned brown buffalo of 6 ounce weight while the strap, which broadens to 2" in the centre, is 9 ounce leather. Buckles and studs are solid brass. This is a satchel your grandchildren will get to enjoy in the future.

  I am posting information on these and how to purchase them in a new blog. Look for me at:

                              timssatchelsandleathergoods.blogspot.ca.  

             Thanks for following me this far, 

         

                                                            Tim Soper

Canadian 1916 Pattern Large Pack

When What Price Glory was producing the reproductions of the 1916 Pattern equipment they were able to measure directly from artifacts. One major exception was the Large Pack. Photographs were readily available, but as I became involved in the search we realized that the one detail consistently not recorded was the nature of the lower straps that connected the pack to the belt.

I called my contact at the Canadian War Museum and within minutes she sent photos to confirm that they had what I was after. So of course I had to visit and take full measurements and my own photos. The help of the museum has been generous. Many thanks.

Back in Kingston I took an Israeli backpack from an army surplus store and set to work. I cut off the straps and made mock-up leather replacements. I sewed and riveted, re-created the lower strap system, and wrote all proper measures on the pack. This then became the model from which Ashok could work his magic and make a reproduction. Here are two photos of the model:

This, I think, was my most clear model in the last year and a half. My stiff paper models and partial cloth sections don't relay information as well as things you can touch. It is the touch which is so important, and it is by this that a reproduction can succeed or fail. I was also very lucky that the Israeli army still used WWI style packs in the 70s.

The back outward-facing side of the 1916 pack looks fairly similar to other packs of the times. At first glance the use of leather criss-crossing straps is the only apparent departure from a British P'08 Large Pack. Then other details emerge.

What is curious is the way in which these straps are sewn onto the broader straps which lead from the pack, pass over the shoulders, and go down the front to their attachment points. But before we get there we must also see the pack face that goes against the wearer's back. Broad leather straps are sewn and riveted in a cross quite low down on the pack. The breadth of the straps narrows so that they can pass into the 3/4" buckles on the front of the yoke straps. This allows for easy re-tensioning of the pack by the wearer. 

However, if it weren't for the narrow criss-crossed straps on the other face the body of the pack would collapse on itself and fall away from the shoulders. The ends of these straps must be tightened at buckles fastened on the underside of the pack.

This picture, above, shows the collapse of the pack when the narrow straps are released. The first picture below shows this effect when the pack is on the back.

As you can see in the next photo the crossed straps, when tightened, save the situation.

Suddenly the system begins to have an awkward complexity. The backpack cannot be opened without releasing the narrow straps which brace the pack upright. If the shoulder straps had been sewn and riveted higher then access would have been easy without disturbing the forced equilibrium.

But perhaps I'm missing something here. A soldier on a march is not on a picnic with idle stops to rummage for personal possessions. This is a serious matter of covering miles, and that does not require easy access to packs. What is important is that with the pack full, or partially full, the straps are effective in binding the contents close and tight. Still, at what point does a design committee determine that a certain system is good and worth reproducing 10,000 times or more?

Having secured the pack at the top it is now necessary to ensure the bottom is held firmly. This is accomplished with a loop reminiscent of the 1915 system as I perceived it. This knowledge was the reason for my trip to Ottawa.

The loop is sewn and riveted with an extra strap and buckle leading off to secure the crossed backward facing straps. The belt-looping portion is held by a stud through one of three holes. Might the strap have gone through the brass rectangular loop seen to the left in this picture? How complex can this be?

Complex as it seems there is a net benefit to all this. Unlike any other system used by the Canadians or the British a soldier could take his own pack off without assistance and without removing any other belts or strapping. The shoulder strap has a completely accessible buckle, and with some contortions the stud-fastened lower straps could be undone. I suggest this was the intention of the designers.

A last detail shown here is of the small straps used to close the pack internally. The buckles would have been the "open gate" variety adopted by the British in their Mills equipment and as such are used in the current reproductions.

This is my last blog posting about Canadian Leather Webbing. I will do one more posting next on my own leather satchels. For those of you who have discovered the site at this end please note that to reach other postings you may have to click on the last listing in the "previous postings" box to get the rest of the list. From then on you can pick the postings one by one. It seems that's how the system works.

Best Wishes, Tim 

After note, November15 2015:  as it turns out I can't stop writing... There are some more Oliver Pattern entries to come too. Also I am putting in this link to What Price Glory for those interested in purchasing their remarkable equipment.

         http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1497

Canadian 1916 Dismounted Pattern Yoke and Shoulder Straps

The 1916 Dismounted Yoke has been rethought from the 1915 adaptation of the original Oliver Pattern yoke. This photo shows the more direct and tighter lead of the yoke, a change which I found made a huge difference for comfort. The double back strap of the 1915 yoke has been replaced by a single strap which fastens to a ring fixed to the centre of the belt.

The forward leading straps are designed to buckle into the ammunition pouches as we have seen. This is where we return to some of the more complex leather gymnastics of the Oliver Pattern because the Large Pack must also share this space for its own fastening.

This next picture shows how three pieces of leather strapping must be placed to secure buckles and keepers. All three come together in one sandwich at the last keeper. Note how the strap at this very end of the system must reverse the orientation of its placement, so that the leather reappears right side up after passing through the ammunition pouch ring. The second buckle to the right is for the Large Pack strap. In comparing this to the simple attachment of the P'08 webbing in the last posting one sees a vast difference in degrees of complexity.

This next photo shows the front view of the yoke buckled into the pouches. The upper buckle has been put to use to hold the Large Pack strap which will be explained in the next posting. It can be seen going over the shoulders. The lead for the strap is sewn on the yoke. I have also seen the lead made as a full loop riveted and sewn in place with a decorative "x" worked into the leather.

A less common view is of the yoke and belt without any accoutrements as seen below.

The yoke rides nicely around the neck, but I find it is better if it is not led through the epaulettes. I don't know what would have been considered proper.

This equipment is available from What Price Glory. Check it at this link.

             http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1497

October 22. Here's an addition: I have been lent a very large pack that has used a 1916 yoke as its strap system. Here is a photo and a drawing of measurements.

Canadian 1916 Dismounted Pattern Ammunition Pouches

The 1916 Pattern had two ammunition pouches, just as the 1915 pattern, but they had evolved from something simple and light weight to robust cases built beyond their need. The leather was 8-9 ounce, meaning it was over 1/8" thick, and two straps and buckles secured the contents as though the cartridges were trying to escape. Such over-building was characteristic of all aspects of the 1916 pattern, but that is also what made it so exceptional.

The 1916 ammunition pouches were attached to the belt by two straps that doubled as the closure straps. The opening faced into the body. In the middle was the rectangular ring which took the shoulder harness strap. On the outer face was a reinforcing piece which seemed to have no purpose but to add a slightly darker stripe.

Below is the view from the side (left) showing the lighter, compressible leather, while the top view (right) shows the two straps with their tail ends passed through two rectangular rings. These photos are of the What Price Glory reproductions.

When attached to the belt, below, they look like this. I have passed the shoulder strap through a belt ring because it holds all parts together better. Whether this was a general practice or not I cannot say.

My last photo in this series shows the ammunition pouches in place on the belt. They are smaller than the 1915 pouches having room for 75 cartridges each.

This equipment can be purchased at the link below.

          http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1497

P'08 comparison

The Ross rifle, which was championed by Sir Sam Hughes despite its problems, was being withdrawn in 1916 and replaced by the British Lee Enfield. Both fired .303 bullets, but while the Ross rifle had to have its magazine loaded one bullet at a time the Lee Enfield made loading faster with charger clips. The clips held five bullets which could be slipped as a group into the magazine. The British '08 pattern of webbing was made specifically for this ammunition and doubtless the change by the Canadians to the Lee Enfield drove yet more nails into the coffin of the 1916 pattern. 

Below is a photograph of five-bullet clips in the British Mills webbing. To grab such a clip in the heat of a battle would be vastly better than to fumble loose or packaged bullets strapped and buckled into a stiff leather case.

The photos below show the P'08 ammo pouches in their entirety. Compared to the 1916 pattern and its predecessors they were a huge departure from the past. Leather was gone forever and small buckles were replaced by snaps. The shaping of the pockets was created by a loom, making sewing minimal. Even the larger buckles used to connect to the shoulder straps were transformed into one-part stampings which held their position through friction.

This past photo is of WPG reproduction webbing.

The following photos are of the ammunition pouches my grandfather wore. They show in the photo in the introduction of the No. 4 gun crew.

Here we see the left and right ammo pouches with the right flipped over to show the underside. The diagonal strap was intended to be fastened to a buckle on a pack to take its weight and transfer it forward to the shoulder strap. This way the weight would be better distributed and the whole set-up less likely to ride high or low. The bean shaped pouch is for the entrenching tool. Notice also the simple 2" shoulder straps and compare them to the final photo and, in the next posting, to the complex layering of the 1916 pattern yoke and strapping. 

There is a blunt efficiency in the manufacture and use of the P'08 webbing. Is this reflective of General Haig who insisted on the change from the 1916 pattern? Similarly there is a romantic and archaic beauty in the 1916 pattern, perhaps a nod to the ideas of a 19th century surgeon called William Oliver, or perhaps, dare I say it, a reflection of Sam Hughes' idealism with respect to a young Canadian nation.

Canadian 1916 Dismounted Pattern

In 1916 Canada came up with yet another pattern of leather webbing approved by Sir Sam Hughes. Sam Hughes was a man of mercurial temperament who could rage and cry if he didn't get his way. He was a thorn in the side of many and had axes to grind with Sir Arthur Currie after the war. He has been described as being mad, but he was nothing if not resolute and his utter commitment to the Canadian Army as a symbol of nationhood has to put him in the roster of national heroes, whatever his shortcomings.

The 1916 Dismounted Pattern was introduced in early 1916, went over to France in August, and by October was ordered replaced by General Haig. It was replaced by the cotton P'08 Mills webbing.

It was considered a variation of the Oliver Pattern and though it is vastly different in many respects it does have something of the same inscrutable excesses. I have to wonder if Sir Sam Hughes had his hands in the design of this equipment. Like the MacAdam shovel some of the details seem "over the top", but to the credit of whoever devised this equipment it has a flair that has not been seen since.

The Belt

The 1916 belt was more elaborate than the Oliver Pattern snake belt by a long shot. It seemed to owe more to an officer's Sam Browne belt than anything else with its double tongued buckle and various brass loops. This seems to be the height of presumption in an infantry soldier's belt, but what a belt!

A What Price Glory reproduction is shown here with an original that has had its tabs and hangers removed.

More so than with the other gear the belt was the foundation of the system. Everything either hung from it or was attached to it. In this way it avoided the makeshift aspects of the Oliver water canteen and haversack, and refined the adaptations of the 1915 pattern.

Canteen

The water canteen should be well recognized by now. It was improved with easy-to-release snap hooks. My own shoulder-hung 1916 bottle is bound by its shrunken leather. To have had a system that could snap off must have been a great boon. There are several variations I've seen of the snaps. I often wonder what freedom there was in production of all these items. Rivet placement and lines of stitching are never consistent.

Haversack

The haversack was made of Mills cotton like the British '08 haversacks, but had a tapered side panel like the Oliver haversack. The use of Mills webbing was almost a prophetic nod to the inevitable winds of change. Really, the rest of the 1916 pattern stands as the last link to the Victorians and their reliance on leather.

This and all the equipment shown here is from What Price Glory. Everything has been copied from artifacts.                              http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1497

The bayonet frog would have held a Lee Enfield bayonet and scabbard since the Canadian army was giving up their Ross rifles. Whether the frog was ever made in Canada as a leather version I don't know. Such frogs do exist as part of the British 1914 leather gear. The frog could have served as a holder for an entrenching tool handle as well. I have not seen pictures of any such a frog with the 1916 gear, and the only leather entrenching tool head carrier I know of is also of the British 1914 leather equipment. I would welcome information on these matters.

Leather Satchels - Part two

By making and handling all these leather artifacts and reproductions I've discovered a new medium that suits my temperament. As a cabinet maker I enjoy the aesthetic that comes with purpose in the creation of a piece of furniture or a kitchen. This same balance is found in leather satchels but at a fraction of the effort. Results show themselves in hours instead of days.

At the beginning of this blog I showed a few of the satchels and packs I have made. This posting starts with my favourite that has weathered down beautifully since last Summer.

The long straps allow for a sweater to be stowed away as the day gets hot. There's even room for a blanket, should you happen to be carrying a blanket around. Shades of the Oliver Pattern here.

The inside has ample room for books and binders, or lunch fixings, an iPad or a laptop, a wallet, rulers, or anything else you can think of. I also carry cordless drills and chisels in mine.

Not prepared to stop at this I've gone on to make side attachment points. Now I can add a knife and sheath, an earthenware bottle, and a pouch for a small camera or a cellphone.

The possibilities are endless.

And you can even fit it on a bike.

Having created all this gear last summer I realized this might appeal to other people who find themselves over-whelmed by modern trappings when they long for some of that classic eternity lost from a past world (a world that probably never existed ). And so I started to work on the logistics of getting Ashok to make some of this gear in his 1900s style. We have been bouncing emails, mock-ups  and prototypes back and forth for some months now and the first order will arrive soon. One or his newly minted satchels will look like this:

It will need only time and loving care to grow into itself. I will post the new satchels with all relevant information about buying them after I finish my next postings on the Canadian 1916 Dismounted Pattern.

Lastly, I show here some of my developing ideas concerning larger and smaller packs.

The big back pack is designed for pure space, great for taking laundry or groceries on a bike. It has yet to gain its tan by ferrying supplies in a canoe in the summer sun. The small bag has a clasp cast in bronze from a wax carving.... Yet another medium for me to play with.

The possibilities are endless.