The 37 pattern webbing set was designed to be worn with either a pair of large basic pouches or a pair of cartridge carriers. For those troops not using either of these, a brace attachment was provided that filled the gap between belt and shoulder brace. These were a reuse of an element from the earlier 1919 and 1925 pattern and are amongst the more complicated elements of the 37 pattern set:The following description comes from the webbing set’s assembly instructions:

Brace Attachments.- These are interchangeable and are used only for sets of equipment adapted for Officers, certain W.Os., N.C.Os. and personnel armed with pistol, or ranks not carrying arms. They consist of a “gate” slide for attachment to the waistbelt: With narrow webbing fitted at the top to carry a buckle for the brace: Below which a link is provided to receive the free end of the brace: This illustration from the pamphlet shows how they attach to the waist belt:One of my pair of braces is dated 1940, with a faint manufacturer’s mark:It also has a large /|\ mark stamped on it:On the second the maker’s marks are long faded, but a large stamp for ‘2RF’ is clearly visible:This is one of the most common elements of 37 pattern webbing with large quantities available for very little money as once you have a pair you really don’t need or want any more!