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The Ross rifle, which was championed by Sir Sam Hughes despite its problems, was being withdrawn in 1916 and replaced by the British Lee Enfield.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.