The Officers valise

[Piorun]

Thanks, Tocemma. Exectly what I was thinking about. Antony

[nigelfe]

Apart from the colour no immediately obvious differences to the Valise, Officers that was in service until 1970 or thereabouts, albeit without the luxury of a padded 'mattress' (never mind a thermal mat which didn't become standard until a couple of decades after the Valise went out of service).

[centurion]

Looking at the letters diaries , orders of the day etc etc from a number of soldiers the word valise is used to cover a multitude of things of which Tocemmas definition is but one. There are five (possibly six) different typs of thing that soldiers referred to as a valise during WW1. Sometimes they r3fer to more than one kind of valise in the same document and one has to use the context to distinguish.

Valise is taken from the French for bag and all of these listed below are some kind of bag. Ive put them in rough order od size and included contemporary quotes to support each. In no case is the quote I provide the only reference but because of space of time and bandwidth I've limited those I've used.

• The Tent Valise. "The best pattern valise known to the writers is the tent valise, made by V. S. Simpson & Company of Pretoria, as this opens up when necessary into a small mosquito-proof patrol tent, which is absolutely watertight in the heaviest rain, and at other times shelters one from the wind, sand, sun and flies. Many of the officers of the Union forces used these throughout the campaigns in German South-West and East Africa, and found them absolutely satisfactory under the most trying conditions." From a guide for scientific expeditions published just after the war. Lieutenant Arthur L. Bishop, The Manchester Regiment in a letter to his brother written from Ypres in 1914 also refers to him using a tent valise. This incorporated a sleeping bag and often the tent portion was not deployed. Tent valises were carried with the baggage and originally only officers were allotted space for them.
  
• The Wolseley Valise. A form of "Carry All" - "A more compact form of valise and bed combined is the "carry-all," or any of the many makes of sleeping-bags, which during the day carry the kit and at night when spread upon the ground serve for a bed. The one once most used by Englishmen was Lord Wolseley's "valise and sleeping-bag." It was complicated by a number of strings, and required as much lacing as a dozen pairs of boots. It has been greatly improved by a new sleeping-bag with straps, and flaps that tuck in at the ends. But the obvious disadvantage of all sleeping- bags is that in rain and mud you are virtually lying on the hard ground, at the mercy of tarantula and fever." Richard Harding Davis - an American War correspondent describing his equipment. This is essentially the valise that Tocemma refers to. By removing the lining from the bag and saving weight Davis was able to also carry a camp bed in his. It is what most references such as "Those officers not on duty all stayed in bed (valises!)" refer to. There are numerous references to this form of valise but, apart from Davis, none include a camp bed. Incidentally the term flea bag appears to refer to keeping fleas (often abundant in French billets) out rather than being somewhere they were to be found. Again carried with the baggage and again space only allotted for officers(although there is some evidence that by the end of the war some NCOs were also allowed them.
  
• The Leather Valise "A spare pair of boots, spare suit of service dress (excluding the peak cap) and spare set of underwear for each man was stored in his kitbag and left at the base in the care of the company, squadron or battery storeman. For officer these items were packed in a leather valise carried in the transport vehicles of the divisional train." Western Front Association. These leather valises appear to have been a sort of small suitcase and there are various references to them including Sassoon's leather valise. Some sources suggest that they were kept at base like the mens kitbags.
  
• The Saddle or Artillery Valise. "The officers' valises, limited to 35 pounds in weight, are carried in front on our saddles, the iron ration, socks, washing kit and anything that could be crammed in, the great coat being rolled and strapped behind the cantle of the saddle. On yourself, a regular Christmas Tree, as it came to be known. Sam Browne belt, haversack, water bottle, field glasses, map case, whistle, pocket instrument case, revolver and ammo pouch. On the horse: a saddle, with the things already mentioned, also a head rope, a heel rope (on some), a nose bag, a body brush and rubber, a canvas bucket, two spare horse shoes in case, a sword, a picketing peg, and a saddle blanket. The total weight carried by the horse is about seventeen and a half stone on average, depending of course quite a bit on the weight of the rider. I believe a cavalry horse has to carry even more." Travis Hampson MC RAMC. "There was only an artillery valise strapped on the horse for the wounded man to cling to".
  
• The Pack (or Haversack) Valise "I was carrying a pack-valise like the men, and my belt was hung with all the usual furnishings - revolver, field-glasses, compass, whisky-flask, wire-cutters, periscope, and a lot more. A Christmas-tree that was called" Robert Graves. Incidentally Graves also refers on another occasion to using a Wolseley type valise. Its is this pack valise that appears to have turned, post war, into the 1937 Valise Haversack.
  
• The Civilian Valise "As you may see by the stationery, I have already received the valise and the contents were most welcome. It arrived by the wagon while we were camping in the woods. I just had time to mark the things, to transfer what I could carry to my sack and give the rest to comrades. Thaw took the zarape; I had a good blanket already. It was out of the question to carry the extra weight; you see all the property we now have must go on our backs on the marches and the weight would astonish you a little could you lift it" Seager
  

An officer could have three valises at any one time - A Leather one back at base with his spare kit, A Wolseley for use in dug out or billet and carrried with the baggage and a Pack about his person. Sometimes it is difficult to tell to which he is referring "Officers' Valises and Orderly Room boxes will be ready for removal to Transport Lines by 5 pm" Irish Rifles, "Kits for Transport: Great Coats, Valises, Packs, Blankets, etc, will be dumped outside Batt. H.Q. by 4.00p.m." Rifle Brigade, "

This time we went via Albert - but did not get much further, because the train stopped somewhere near Carnoy; we were told to get out and march eastwards to meet the Bosche who were said to be not far away! Having got my revolver and some ammunition (which I divided with somebody who had none) and possibly one or two other items from my kit, the train went back the way it had come, with all our valises etc. - and, I rather think, with any batmen who were in charge of kits" Archibald Gordon MacGregor

"I thought it may be of interest to read Bishops letter of 4th Dec 1914

This is just a short note so please excuse but your Mother keeps you well posted as to my whereabouts and doings, if you are not at home. My idea in writing is to advise you in a few things which will be useful if you are coming over and I only hope it will catch you before leaving, if you have not already left. As the winter is on lots of warm clothing is invaluable, also as there is as much rain as snow, waterproof things are needed.

We live in billets when not in trenches and so far have always had our valises to sleep on. Don’t trust these beds as they are all lousy and the Gs slept in them. The billets are very dirty as a rule as there is a very poor section of …

I carry a fleece lined Burberry which is waterproof warm and light, but you on your horse will carry a great coat. Do not take H. warm. They are no protection for your legs in the trenches. Carry a pack on your back. One of the men's converted is what we have. In it carry a regulation blanket, gloves, muffler, Woolsey helmet, one pair socks, and waterproof sheet regulations. In your haversack, flask, iron rations, medicine case, scissors, field dressing, maps, combination knife, fork, spoon, razor, brush, soap, comb, tooth brush, compass. I have haversack, glasses, water bottle fitted with snaffles to hook on s. Broms [sam Brown belts]. A leather revolver-lanyard. The cord ones are no good. Mine has gone already. In your valise, fleabag, I suit service dress, 1 extra pair puttees, 3 pr heavy socks, ? dozen large hdcks.[handkerchiefs], 1 pair pajamas invaluable when you can (?) get a sleep, 1 pair slippers, 1 cholera belt, change of underwear and khaki shirt.

A sword is a damn nuisance in the trenches. A pair of waterproof jack books would be excellent for you but useless to us. These knitted wolsey helmets are no good being too thin, a Jaeger is the only thing. Gloves with long wrists and no fingers are fine. The whole idea is to carry on you as much warm clothing as possible without killing yourself on the long marches.

I have sent to R.W.L. for a pair of larrigans as they will be the ideal thing for trenches.

Of course if you don’t come out till the spring all your warm clothes will be a wash out but whatever you do take a waterproof sheet and a change of socks. They are issuing to us fur lined British warms which we are looking forward to immensely. A cavalry canteen is a good live. Be sure to have a flask of brandy, not a glass one for preference. On these cold nights in the trenches and being soaking wet a nip of rum is a god send. Also carry in your valise a tine of waterproof boot oil.

All these things I can recommend as it is only by experience that I have found them out. An ordinary wolsey valise of strong canvas is much better than a tent valise such as I have, because when you do see your valise it is always in billets, and the country is so thickly populated that you are always sure of a roof or ? roof as nearly all the houses have been shelled. Carry about £5 with you and get it exchanged for five frank notes here. A writing case, small, is an ideal thing also a fountain pen with a small steel ink pot, which doesn’t leak. A good luminous watch is fine but in the trenches now with so much mud practically useless. We live in mud and are never clean. We spruced up a gine [?] yesterday when H.M. came along.

Don’t forget to let me know when you get out here, if I should be alive by that time. I only wish we could get moving, and get the brutes on the run. Their trenches now are only 40x from ours and they have a gramophone. I have had several very narrow shaves, but a miss is as good as a mile every time and we don’t worry."

[truthergw]

Sure I recall from officers' memoirs some sort of phrase like 'we slept in our valises' which always puzzled me (sorry don't have reference to hand as I'm in Cyprus on business. Would this have been a shorthand phrase like 'living out of a suitcase'?

cheers Martin B

I read an account of something similar. I have a notion that a valise was in the nature of a bivvy bag which could contain kit when not being slept on or in. Officers' servants were responsible for making sure valises were made up and transported as and when necessary. I think on the '14 retreat some were discarded to make room for injured or exhausted men.

[centurion]

I read an account of something similar. I have a notion that a valise was in the nature of a bivvy bag which could contain kit when not being slept on or in. Officers' servants were responsible for making sure valises were made up and transported as and when necessary. I think on the '14 retreat some were discarded to make room for injured or exhausted men.

See Tent Valise and Wolseley Valise in my post no 30. above Both incorporated a sleeping bag. However there were other kinds of valise.

[Andrew Upton]

I carry a fleece lined Burberry which is waterproof warm and light, but you on your horse will carry a great coat. Do not take H. warm. They are no protection for your legs in the trenches.

...

We live in mud and are never clean. We spruced up a gine [?] yesterday when H.M. came along.

I'm guessing "We spruced up again" giving the context of originally being dirty, and then being visited by His Majesty.

Also nice to see the difference between an Officers raincoat, greatcoat and warm illustrated in the same three lines...

[Yorkshire Dragoon]

I recently bought what was called a Valise from e-bay, when it turned up i was pleasently surprised with it and started storing my WW2 uniforms in it. Then i came across a copy of the same item on What Price Glory reproductions website which advertised it as an Officers Canvas Bedroll..... well ****** me it works perfectly as a bedroll either with or without a 'matrass' of any kind. The flaps fold over and geep you covered if not warm.

All in all an excellent piece of kit.

Tim B