08 Pattern Haversack

When Britain entered the Great War, it’s soldiers had the most sophisticated load bearing equipment of any of the great powers. The 1908 pattern webbing equipment had been introduced six years before and was far more advanced than those developed previously that had relied on leather. The new equipment was lighter and more durable and the innovative design of the 08 equipment allowed it to be put on or taken off in one movement like a waistcoat rather than as individual components as its predecessors had. The official pamphlet on the equipment set highlighted this advantage:

The component parts of the equipment are all directly connected together. The result of this is that the whole of it can be taken off in one motion, and unless it is required to be taken apart for any purpose, remains intact and ready for putting on again at a moment’s notice. The advantages of such an arrangement are obvious. Men can turn out in barracks or camp fully equipped in a few moments, even in the dark. Separate articles have not to be hunted for, by no means an easy matter in a crowded tent; all that each man has to do is to seize his rifle and equipment and double to the place of assembly, and within a few seconds of his arrival he is ready to march off.

Again, when a halt occurs on the line of march, every man can at once, if he wishes, divest himself of the whole of his load, resuming it the moment the order is given to fall in.

Tonight we are looking at one element of this equipment, the haversack. The haversack was the bag most often used by the soldier as the larger pack was normally left behind the lines in favour of the smaller and lighter haversack. The official handbook describes the haversack:

Haversack- This consists of a rectangular bag of dimensions (approximate) 11 x 9 x 2 inches:and has a cover secured by two small straps and buckles:The interior is longitudinally divided by means of a partition (missing on this example). The haversack is fitted on the back:with two suspending tabs:at the ends with large buckle:and on the front with two smaller buckles at the bottom corners:These haversacks were supposed to contain everything a soldier needed on a daily basis as we saw here, however the haversack was really far too small, and when the small pack was introduced in the 1937 pattern set it was almost twice the size (but still too small!). The haversack was commonly worn either attached to the brace ends, hanging on the soldiers side, or attached to the back. This photograph of a soldier of the Worcestershire Regiment in the Somme in WW1 clearly shows the haversack being worn on his back in the line: