Oliver Pattern Valise

Oliver Pattern Valise in use

I've written about the Oliver Pattern Valise in the posting on the Oliver Belt and Accoutrements. What I wish to add here are some photographs of the new What Price Glory valise that is almost ready for sale, and some observations on the use of Oliver Pattern equipment in Canada in 1914.

This photograph below shows the Oliver Pattern equipment in full use in the Boer War. What a collection! These valises are stacked!  On the other hand the men are wearing blanket rolls and their mess tins attached to their belts. Is this the marching order? Will the valises be shipped by wagon along with the large white kit bags?

I bring this up because all the photos I've seen taken in WWI show only the cape brace holding a smaller kit bag to the shoulders and the blanket/greatcoat/groundsheet rolled and attached to the belt, and presumably slung from the yoke and braces.

This photo shows four soldiers from Kingston's 21st Battalion in the winter of 1914-1915

Here on Salisbury Plain is a similar set-up, below, in 1915.

It seems from the photographic evidence that the valise disappeared as an item on active service.

And marching somewhere in England in better conditions:

And here's another approach: the ammo pouch is worn to the right side, The very white haversack is worn beneath the belt, and the blanket has its ends held together with a small strap.

Of course none of this gear ever made it to the front, so valise or not there was no fighting done under the restrictions of the equipment.

All this is guessing and surmising. I would love to have someone in the know tell me what was what.

The Valise

What I do know is the nature of the valise itself. Two years ago I went to a collector who generously allowed me to spend three hours measuring and photographing his Oliver Pattern gear. It is from this research that WPG was able to reproduce the missing links to their reproduction equipment. The valise was from 1899.

The Oliver Valise measures 14"X 9"X 4 3/4" and is made from a brown canvas lined with a finer cloth and edged in leather. It has two internal pockets and two external leather cartridge pockets. 

The top edge is rimmed in leather which also serves to reinforce the back attachment lugs. It is a very heavy duty item that would hold an elephant. 

There are three straps, two of which pierce the flap as though to cinch up the contents. Then another strap actually closes the flap. The buckles are 7/8". A smaller pair of buckled flaps doubles the protection against lost items across the open top.

Everything is absurdly secure to the point that the straps and flaps get in the way of easy access. But you have to love it for its Victorian eccentricity. I would suggest that it might make a handy shoulder bag if one were to make a shoulder strap with clips to attach to the lugs. The back side also has a loop for the belt.

Keep watching the What Price Glory web site. This valise will be up for sale very soon!

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

Belt straps for Blanket Roll

These straps are copied from the drawings in "Tangled Web" , the Bible of Canadian webbing. They are a part of the system to by-pass the valise.

I believe the "D" ring is for the brace attachment point, but I don't know how the rectangular loop is to be used. A belt can be passed through the leather loop between the two attachment points.

Here's how they seem to work with a roll.

I've made another stap to go around the middle of the roll. It has two rectangular loops worked into it. To these I can strap the mess kit.

Note the loose cape brace in the photos above and below. This would take a kit bag.

One of the criticisms of the Oliver gear was that there were too many small parts which could be lost, rendering the system unusable. From my mucking around with this system and using it at commemorative events I can see why it was rejected. The 1915 variations are a big improvement, as are the 1916 changes, but it's such a relief to throw on the P'08 canvas wbbing in the end.

Next I'm going to revisit the Oliver water bottle. I have just received one to study and I can pass on all the measurements to anyone who wants to take a stab at making their own. When you see how little water it can hold you will understand why the Canadian troops smashed them in protest on arriving in South Africa.