Last week we looked at the civilian duty respirator, and tonight we follow this up with the haversack. This was a very simple design, ideal for cheap mass production for civilian services who did not need the same sophistication as the military’s haversacks for the general service respirators. The haversack in this case was a simple heavy duty cotton bag, made of a very coarse grade of fabric:
A woven cotton tape carrying strap was seen to the bag. This was bundles up and stitched into sections that could be unpicked one by one to lengthen the strap, allowing a cheap way of the haversack strap being adjustable without the need for brass slider buckles:
The neck of this haversack closes with a drawstring:
A loop of woven cotton tape is sewn inside the haversack in one corner:
With this pulled out, it is possible to fit the anti-dimming kit into the loop:
Which then sits safely in the bottom corner of the haversack when it is turned back the correct way round:
Whilst this haversack is clearly far superior to the cardboard boxes issued to civilians, it remains a cheap and simple haversack that allows mass production and widespread issue without costing the local authorities large amounts of money.
In this 1941 photograph, this pattern of haversack is clearly visible being worn by the right hand warden:
