Earlier this year we looked at the economy version of the 1937 Pattern haversack here. The economy measures applied to the haversack were also used on the pack and today we are looking at an example of the large pack with these brass saving measures:

From the front the changes are not obvious, especially as the buckles used are still made of brass rather than sheradised steel. Turning the pack over, however, we can see where the brass saving measures have been implemented:

The two tabs at the top of the pack, used to attach the L-Straps to, have had the brass reinforcing tips deleted and are just made of sewn webbing:

As this part of the webbing was the least likely to be repeatedly buckled and unbuckled (L-straps being left in place for longer periods of time than other parts of the set) this is perhaps one of the easiest parts of the design to reduce brass through deletion. The change was a wartime economy as brass was a strategic resource and whilst clearly acceptable in wartime, after the end of the conflict the tabs quickly regained their brass tips!

If you want to discover more about the many variations and development history of 1937 pattern webbing please check out my book here.