Barrack Room: Kit Inspection

[Peter]

Kit - 1880.JPG (56.38 KiB) Viewed 814 times

Featherstone, D, Weapons and Equipment of the Victorian Soldier, Dorset, Blandford Press, 1978, p 6

Question: What is he holding in his right hand?

[GrantRCanada]

Question: What is he holding in his right hand?

Based on the references to it in of the images below, I believe it is his "pocket ledger" (.... I presume what we might refer to as his "pay book" ....)
Interesting photo indeed, as it appears intended to show the kit laid out for barracks inspection, as well as in normal "stowed" condition (i.e. in the background.)

I have accumulated a number of images, which I take the liberty of posting here for review and comments. (I also have a few images of Royal Navy kit layouts - mostly of "boys in training", but if there is interest in those it might be better to start a similar thread in the appropriate forum ....)

(Note: if any of these images is displayed here at less than 700 dpi wide - the width of the first image below - it has been automatically reduced in size by the forum's formatting parameters, but can be viewed full-size by clicking on the magnifying glass icon at top left corner of the image.)

The second image (text entitled "Section XIX - Barracks") in Frogsmile's first post in this thread comes from "Standing Orders, 48th Northamptonshire Militia", LtCol Lord Burghley, published circa 1855. I reproduce it here, along with the subsequent page of text and related engraving -




1857 Kit Inspection layout diagram, 5th Regt.. Note that the mess-tin is labeled "canteen" and its cover as "canteen cover"; a reminder that what we usually refer to as a "canteen" nowadays was called a "water bottle" back then -


1860 Adjutant General's memorandum regarding the folding iron cot and bedding -


1861 Kit Inspection layout, 53rd Regt.. In this case, the mess tin is labeled as such -


1861 Field Kit, 53rd Regt. -


Jumping forward to the 1890's/Boer War era ......

Exact date unknown:
3rd Bttn. Regt. of Grenadier Guards -

The Seaforth Highlanders -


1898 - Field Kit and Utensils, 2nd Bttn. Leinster Regt. -


Circa 1900 - 1st Bttn. Leinster Regt. -


1899 - 58th Foot in South Africa -

[tabony]

The fifth image certainly shows that tha bed is folded. The last two remind me more of our grooming kit lay out, inspected every morning at 09.30 then fall out to NAFFI break.

Martin

[GrantRCanada]

Of course the last two just show field kit, on active service .....

[FROGSMILE]

Of course the last two just show field kit, on active service .....

Superb pictures Grant, thank you for posting.

I am especially interested in the Leinsters photos and surprised by the long boots. It is also good to see confirmation of the early practice of wearing collar badges as insignia in the Field Service Cap (see below).

I still recall laying out my kit like this, both on a groundsheet (in the field) and on my bed (in barracks) in the 1970s and 80s.

A regular feature was to check the kit against our AF G1157 (your "pocket ledger" - the Pay Book (AB64) showed pay and service details), which listed all personal kit and necessaries. The platoon sergeant would ball out the item and you had 5 seconds to identify it amongst your layout and hold it in the air for inspection for serviceability. Woe betide if you were slow, as 'extra duties' beckoned (of which there were many - especially in the cookhouse).

This was followed by a trip to the quartermasters store for 'exchanges' (replacement of items unserviceable - known as 'U-S') and 'deficiencies' (known as 'diffies' i.e. the re-issue, at personal cost, of items lost or stolen (an occupational hazard). Happy days (not) !

[GrantRCanada]

Aaahhh .... "unserviceable" and "deficient", you say ......

[tabony]

If you don't look after your kit, someone else will!

Martin

[FROGSMILE]

If you don't look after your kit, someone else will!

Martin

Plus ca change!