British garment roll?

[vady]

here's a large (6'x8' opened) leather-edged canvas sheet that folds and rolls and seem to be for carrying garments; it has leather straps with handle that loops round the "tube" one it's all in.

us engineer officer owned it while working in india. there's no broad arrow - just maker's initials and "Ltd." so I'm thinking was bought in the UK before he deployed in india. came with other canvas items incl. and M43 field/"jungle" pack.

any ideas please? maybe from some gentlemens' outfitters like the US' abercrombie & fitch?

thanks!
david

[vady]

pic 2

[vady]

pic 3

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi David, it is a private purchase Officers bed roll. I have a similar one in my collection.

Cheers, Ade.

[frenchy]

Thanks Vady for showing it it's the first time i see one ( there is a lot of things i haven't seen yet )

Ade when you say a private purchase does that mean that these item have been made especially for him from scratch or they had a lot in store and the officer could buy them with their own money ?

Thanks
Frenchy

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Frenchy, these were often bought from the same shops as the Officers bought thier uniforms from.

You could buy almost everything there. Tents, beds, wash stands and even small canvas bath tubs. Everything you would need to live in the field.

Cheers, Ade.

[frenchy]

Thanks Ade

Frenchy

[OKW]

If you were an officer you were expected to provide your own equipment to go to war, even down to your own side arm, although an allowance was made to the officers pay. This harkened back to the days when officers brought their commissions, therefore they had to have had money to become one, and as such being gentlemen were expected to purchase their kit as well. This was quite a barrier for rankers to over come, they might have had the ability to perform the job but not the finance to start. This was the situation even up until the period between the wars, although the practice of buying commissions had ended in Victorian times officers were still expected to put on a show socially, polo/ hunting ponies, dinners in the mess etc which was expensive. A lot of poorer officers or promoted rankers offered to serve in India in the Raj where life was cheaper. Officers could still expect in the 20's and 30's to have 6 months leave a year to go hunting or on private expeditions, say mountain climbing in the alps. Soldiering took a back seat, except on the north west frontier, fighting the relatives of the same people we find ourselves fighting today, where you either soldiered well or not at all. This way of carrying on helps explain why the wehrmacht and Imperial Japanese army went through the army like a dose of salts until the survivors learn't their trade to fight back.

[vady]

that's certainly of more than passing interest, herr oberkommando west - all the more more reason, then, to admire the rankers a la lt. sharps ("sharp's rifles') - who battled their way up thru establishment snootiness to officerhood. then wondered, given the hauteur and slight regard of most of their fellow upper rankers, "why in hell did I bother?"

I'm much obliged, david

If you were an officer you were expected to provide your own equipment to go to war, even down to your own side arm, although an allowance was made to the officers pay. This harkened back to the days when officers brought their commissions, therefore they had to have had money to become one, and as such being gentlemen were expected to purchase their kit as well. This was quite a barrier for rankers to over come, they might have had the ability to perform the job but not the finance to start. This was the situation even up until the period between the wars, although the practice of buying commissions had ended in Victorian times officers were still expected to put on a show socially, polo/ hunting ponies, dinners in the mess etc which was expensive. A lot of poorer officers or promoted rankers offered to serve in India in the Raj where life was cheaper. Officers could still expect in the 20's and 30's to have 6 months leave a year to go hunting or on private expeditions, say mountain climbing in the alps. Soldiering took a back seat, except on the north west frontier, fighting the relatives of the same people we find ourselves fighting today, where you either soldiered well or not at all. This way of carrying on helps explain why the wehrmacht and Imperial Japanese army went through the army like a dose of salts until the survivors learn't their trade to fight back.

[frenchy]

Thanks guys very interesting i was sure that everything were supplied to them free as they were starting their army time nothing change there is always gonna be a barrier between poor and well not so poor ....
Frenchy