Canadian 1915 Pattern. Belt and Accoutrements

The Canadian 1915 Pattern was a direct descendant of the Oliver Pattern. I know very little of its history except that it was the equipment supported by Sam Hughes in his desire for a Canadian look, and like the original Oliver Pattern it never made it to France.

I have never seen any significant 1915 Pattern webbing for sale so I presume little exists. On the other hand many Oliver Pattern belts available online are actually 1915 adaptations. Infact, as I looked closer at the 1915 evidence it became clear that the 1915 Pattern was really the Oliver reworked.

The Belt

The belt was the Oliver Pattern belt with the addition of a double loop riveted on the inside right. It was intended for the passage of a back strap used to take the weight of the entrenching tool. It kept the strap in place.

The MacAdam Shovel

On the right side was hung the MacAdam shovel, purportedly the invention of Sam Hughes' secretary.

This was designed to do double duty as an entrenching tool and a face protector for soldiers firing above the parapet. 

Since it was not sharp enough for digging and too light to stop bullets it failed on both fronts. Tens of thousands were scrapped before the war ended. The photo below shows the shovel in its folded state hanging from the belt. The strap passed through a hole in the shovel intended for the rifle as seen above. The water bottle, worn on the same side, was the same as the system used with the Oliver Pattern in 1914.

The Haversack

The 1915 haversack was also taken straight from the Oliver Pattern. As I said before I received a haversack from a collector in the Netherlands to study for this project. The original strap had been removed and I could see the old stitching holes. The 1915 version once had long straps added. These straps had been cut short, presumably for a shoulder strap that is now lost.

Instead of hanging the haversack over the shoulder the leather tabs passed around the belt and buckled the haversack tightly. The same long tabs could also have been used to wear the haversack on the back.

This old photo shows the two straps on either side of the bayonet. The text that came with this photo explains that the bayonet was placed over the haversack for illustration but should be placed on the other side. The bayonet was still the Ross Bayonet in its fixed frog. Notice also the blanket roll. There was no need in the 1915 pattern for a valise. The picture below shows back straps connected directly to the belt.

The Ammunition Pouches

The ammunition pouches were the only major part of the 1915 gear made anew. Even then there was some recycling. Some pouch sets were fabricated or reworked Oliver Pattern pouches with a single central lug. The lug snap-fastened to the front shoulder strap. Two were to be worn at one time on either side of the belt buckle.

The new model was made in a square and boxish manner. The opening flap faced into the body and was secured by two studs. Each pouch held 100 rounds. The leather was lighter than the Oliver pouches' leather in weight, and while the Oliver pouches have a stylish flare these seem to be not much more than portable leather boxes for bullets which was, of course, exactly what they were. 

Here are the two reproductions together for a size comparison. The colour is natural leather. In a short time these will begin to darken, just as the originals, through the action of sunlight, air, and various waxes, oils and dirt rubbed in by accident or intent.

If the originals never made it to France then where are they today? Perhaps they became hunting pouches for English gentry, or sandwich pouches for the working man. I still hope I will find a crate of them some day.

The research for the pouches was a triumph of modern technology in communication. A museum in Australia had examples of the above ammunition pouches. They emailed me photos and measurements. From this I made my own mock-ups. This let me fine tune patterns which I then sent to Ashok along with the Australian information. At the same time I was studying the haversack. Lastly I was trying to make sense of the photo details of the leather yoke and strapping. All of this passed through What Price Glory, so some days there were emails passing back and forth over four continents. Questions were asked and answers received over the course of one day. The greatest thanks must go to these international contacts for their donation of their knowledge.

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