Can anyone identify what this was used for?

[mark holden]

This is one of a pair I picked up on Saturday. Maker marked and dated 1917 about 3' in length. Can anyone tell me what it was used for?

 

thanks

 

Mark 

[new3.2]

My guess would be for draft harness.

Ken

[Chasemuseum]

Horse draught equipment pattern RA1904 (royal artillery), this is the short trace.

 

A gun team for light artillery (18pr 4.5howitzer etc) has 3 pair of horses. Each horse has a breast collar attached to two long traces. For the lead and centre pairs, a short trace (above) is used to connect the traces to the breast collar of the horse behind (total 4 required for each pair).  The traces are braided steel wire covered in leather with quick release links.  

 

For ASC and others with draught harness but not artillery, the official patterns of harness at the outbreak of the war were the patterns GS1890 and the "new pattern" (referred to in the manual "Army Service Corps Training Part 1 1909" as "transport harness GS" and "Transport harness ASC New Pattern". These were neck collar harness with leather hemp rope traces. During the war RA1904 was progressively replaced other patterns I general service.  

Cheers

Ross

[mark holden]

Ken and Ross,

 

Thanks so much for the replies and Ross for the extensive detail. A mystery solved. I just need to locate the rest of the 'team'.

 

kind regards

 

Mark

[Chasemuseum]

Mark,

you mean like this,

cheers

Ross

 

The Ramshorn buckle of the short trace attaches to the loose links on the breast collar.

This is a 4.5inch howitzer limber but it has No200a wheels rather than No45s.