E.P.I. tents

[robertb]

The War Diary of 39th Field Ambulance for 14th September 1915 states "Indents for E.P.I. tents and winter clothing were sent into Ordnance Stores".

What is an E.P.I. tent please?

[MaureenE]

There is mention of EPIP tents, which perhaps are the same as EPI tents, in the GWF topic "British and Empire Tents and Shelters of the Great War", where it is stated

 

 "EPIP" circular tent. Used widely in Palestine and Egypt. "EPIP" is an acronym, the meaning of which I am unsure. I have seen it defined as "Eight Personnel India Pattern", "Eight Person Indian Pattern",  "European Personnel Indian Pattern", "European Private's India Pattern", "Egyptian pattern, Indian patent" and even "English Pattern Indian Product". The tent can be easily identified by the tall peak and the lack of an eave above the wall section.

 

 

Cheers

Maureen

[robertb]

Thanks Maureen.  The 39th Field Ambulance were in Gallipoli at this time, so location makes some sense.

[JMB1943]

E.P. tent is mentioned in the Field Service Pocket Book of 1914 (p.46 & 47).

It is not defined explicitly, but had dimension of 40 x 36 ft, so not circular.

Mentions that it is for (1) peace-time use only, and (2) accommodates 16 British soldiers, no mention of native soldiers.

Other tents, e.g., GS (India; 160 lb; 22 x 16 ft) accommodates 16 British or 20 native soldiers.

Given this context, I would suggest 

E = English, European ???

P = Pattern, Personnel ???

 

Regards,

JMB

[simonpocock]

"E.P. tents" were used by Royal Army Medical Corps in 1909 in the aftermath of the Messina Earthquake tragedy. They seem to have been rectangular, and were used to house the patients, while personnel slept in those conical "bell" tents or ridge tents. None the wiser for what EP actually stands for: Emergency Purposes? Sounds too modern. 

[MaureenE]

An article from the Washington Post in 1990 by Emerson P Brown defines  an IPEP tent as Indian pattern European personnel.

".....my 14-month experience of life in a tent in the Sinai Desert in 1946 and 1947.

Daytime temperatures were as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit (nights were beautiful and surprisingly cool), but I never suffered real discomfort. I never had prickly heat. My shelter was a British Army tent, called an IPEP (Indian pattern European personnel). Intended for 10 other ranks, as the British called them then, the tent was about 18 feet square, with a coir matting floor, four-foot sidewalls and a separate fly making a two-layer roof that effectively shielded against the sun's rays. Refugees at the camp lived six to 12 per tent and found the tents both comfortable and a ready source of clothing (the sidewalls were three-ply; the middle one of blue cloth worked up easily into shorts and skirts)".

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1990/09/22/soldiers-life-in-the-desert/8acffb48-5113-4c30-9ee4-76856288cc55/

(archived version https://web.archive.org/web/20231004061813/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1990/09/22/soldiers-life-in-the-desert/8acffb48-5113-4c30-9ee4-76856288cc55/ )

(Also posted on another topic)

I believe therefore that EP means European Personnel

However there are other meanings attributed to it such as "Egyptian pattern"

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C304867

Take your pick, however as tents were so widely used in the Indian Army, my preference would be for the IPEP wording as defined above.

Maureen

[FROGSMILE]

Excellent research Maureen.  I believe you’re absolutely right.  The term “European” as a category was much used in the Indian Army and in various sources I’ve seen it quoted in the past in connection with rations**, accommodation and barracks stores, and clothing, although I did not note down any references, as it didn’t seem unusual to me at the time.

**the designation in that context was still being used by 14th Army during WW2, where QMG staff had enormous challenges feeding the multiracially demarcated Infantry Divisions.

Edited 4 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[simonpocock]

Thank you MaureenE, JMB1943 and everyone else on this chain. 

With regards to dimensions, Maureen, I presume by "18 feet square" Mr Brown means 18 x 18, since 6 x 3 would have been more than cosy for 10 ppl! 

Dimension of 40 x 36 feet, as supplied in JMB1943's reply, seem more suited to the EP tents as erected by the Royal Army Medical Corps in Calabria in 1909. There are some pictures of them in https://militaryhealth.bmj.com/content/jramc/12/3/286.full.pdf

They were intended to hold 12 patients, a couple of tables for operations and a row of benches. 

I notice also that "EP tents" are still available in various sizes for sale in India: https://in.all.biz/ep-tent-or-private-mk-iii-g297129 and https://onkarnathrajeevgupta.tradeindia.com/ep-tent-8135291.html so, again, I am thinking that EP probably referred to the basic shape of the tent (ie not round, with vertical walls and pitched roof) which was a "European" development of what had then been used for tents (circular, like wigwams) and that there were Indian or Egyptian version of this? I have seen EPIP and also IPEP; maybe the IP bit is an Indian version of the basic EP model, as above. 

My guess is as good as yours. I'm still looking for definitive reference to the abbreviation EP; I'm sure my grandfather (RIP) would have told me.  

  

[FROGSMILE]

On 04/10/2023 at 11:50, simonpocock said:

Thank you MaureenE, JMB1943 and everyone else on this chain. 

With regards to dimensions, Maureen, I presume by "18 feet square" Mr Brown means 18 x 18, since 6 x 3 would have been more than cosy for 10 ppl! 

Dimension of 40 x 36 feet, as supplied in JMB1943's reply, seem more suited to the EP tents as erected by the Royal Army Medical Corps in Calabria in 1909. There are some pictures of them in https://militaryhealth.bmj.com/content/jramc/12/3/286.full.pdf

They were intended to hold 12 patients, a couple of tables for operations and a row of benches. 

I notice also that "EP tents" are still available in various sizes for sale in India: https://in.all.biz/ep-tent-or-private-mk-iii-g297129 and https://onkarnathrajeevgupta.tradeindia.com/ep-tent-8135291.html so, again, I am thinking that EP probably referred to the basic shape of the tent (ie not round, with vertical walls and pitched roof) which was a "European" development of what had then been used for tents (circular, like wigwams) and that there were Indian or Egyptian version of this? I have seen EPIP and also IPEP; maybe the IP bit is an Indian version of the basic EP model, as above. 

My guess is as good as yours. I'm still looking for definitive reference to the abbreviation EP; I'm sure my grandfather (RIP) would have told me.  

  

For what it’s worth I’d happily wager substantially that Maureen is correct.  Looked at it slightly differently the abbreviation is actually two abbreviations from common use pre 1947 simply added together.  IP was a common abbreviation for “India(n) Pattern” in a variety of contexts.  A common one I recall is IP Frock (India Pattern Frock), which differed from the Home Service Frock used in Britain and Ireland.  EP was also in frequent use for “European Personnel” and could often be seen on barracks buildings to indicate that they were intended for British units and not Native** units.

**the use of the term “native” was eventually dropped in terms of British-Indian Army unit nomenclature but only after several centuries.  So too was European in the same context but both terms continued in use for other, practical aspects , most of which were under the auspices of AG and QMG staff matters.  Rations being probably the most obvious example that remained in use right up until partition and the departure of British garrisons.
 

Edited 6 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE