1908 pattern identification request

[paulowen]

Edited 10 April , 2020 by paulowen

[paulowen]

Hi,

Not quite got the hang of the new system!

Can anyone shed any light on this ammo pouch I picked up last year? It's a single pouch, very much with 1908 DNA but not of a type I've seen before. Internally, it's the same as a 1908 'pocket' but the back is a simple webbing loop.

 

The date isn't at all clear but is definitely 1920 something (probably 1923 or 1925). It doesn't look like it's been altered or, if it has it's been done to a high standard.

 

I'm thinking it might just have been taken off a 1908 set and repurposed. Maybe for the Home Guard where 15 rounds would be enough. The date intrigues me though.

 

I've got plans to use it to complete a cut-up set of 08 pouches I've had for years (no need to alter it anyway) which is also MW & S but 1940.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[Tom K]

It is an Indian Army piece - note the "I" under the Broad Arrow.  I think it was manufactured as a single and that the loop (although a different shade) is original to the piece (stitching is all the same colour).

 

Now for the pure speculation part of my post:  perhaps for use with blank cartridges for grenade launching.

 

TOm K

[4thGordons]

3 hours ago, Tom K said:

Now for the pure speculation part of my post:  perhaps for use with blank cartridges for grenade launching.

 

TOm K

 

Or perhaps for .410 musket rounds in S/L .410 Enfield Muskets? (used for riot control/guard duty etc) or  for paramilitary/police use where more limited ammunition carried?

(again speculation on my part)

Indian converted quite a large number of Enfields into single shot rifles and single loader smooth bore muskets (in .410)

 

[paulowen]

Thanks both of you. I didn't know about the Indian Army markings.

It's definitly for .303 though and can take three clips of five rounds.  

 

[4thGordons]

48 minutes ago, paulowen said:

Thanks both of you. I didn't know about the Indian Army markings.

It's definitly for .303 though and can take three clips of five rounds.  

 

The .410 musket rounds are the same size - they are just un-necked .303 cases.

The pouch looks identical in dimensions to a standard '08 pouch - what I was really meaning was it might have been used where carrying the full complement of ammunition carried by an infantryman was deemed unnecessary hence the single pouch rather than the multi-pouch set.

Chris