When the Great War broke out in 1914 the Canadian Militia was equipped with a mixture of Oliver valise equipment, Canadian pattern Web Equipment WE08, and Mills Burrowes WE13.
L-R: Oliver valise , Canadian Web WE08, Mills Burrowes WE13
The Canadian pattern WE08 was withdrawn from the Militia and issued to some of the new Canadian Expeditionary Battalions at camp Valcartier. The WE13 Equipment was already on issue to Canada’s regular army and the newly formed Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. The Oliver valise equipment was issued to the rest of the new C.E.F. Battalions for whom there was not sufficient quantities of WE08. Upon arriving in England the Oliver valise equipment was withdrawn and replaced with WE08 from British stores. Therefore all the Canadian Infantry Battalions were equipped with WE08 when they arrived in France in February 1915. The Princess Patricia’s however had taken their WE13 with them when they went to France with the British 80th Brigade in December 1914.
In May of 1915 it was decided to convert the Oliver valise equipment by making a few alterations to the design. This would be known as the 1915 pattern. This pattern was issued to the Second Canadian Division and used in training but was not taken to France.
In late 1915 the Oliver valise equipment was again re-designed and became known as the 1916 pattern. The 1916 pattern was used in training , and was worn in France for a brief period of time by the Fourth Canadian Division before being replaced by WE08.
Because of wartime shortages of web equipment leather equipment witch was modeled after WE08 was also manufactured and issued to Canadian soldiers it was known as British Leather Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1914.
This pattern of mess tin was used by British and Canadian forces from 1800-1939. Supplied with a cloth cover that most soldiers discarded at the first opportunity. It was usually worn hung on the outside of the pack.
Mark I Steel Helmet: First issued to Canadian troops in March 1916 this helmet was designed to give the soldier protection from air burst shrapnel and shell fragments ( not bullets ) and to be easy to manufacture. With a weight of 2lb one might have expected soldiers to object to the added weight but there was surprisingly little protest as they soon discovered it really did reduce head wounds.
McAdam Shield Shovel. Modeled on a Swiss invention this device was intended to be used as both a shield and a shovel. Patented in the name of one of Sir Sam Hughes private secretaries it was a complete failure in every respect. The handle was to short, the shovel to dull to dig with, the hole in the blade was to low to shoot through unless mounted on a low pile of dirt and worst of all it was not bullet proof. The entire shipment of 22,000 shovels witch had cost the government over $29,000 was sold off as scrap in 1917 for $1,400.
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