Original 1914 Pattern Leather Waist belt

A rare original British Army 1914 Pattern Leather Waist Belt in good condition. 

This pattern of equipment was introduced at the beginning of the First World War as an alternative to the standard 1908 webbing set in issue at the time. With large numbers of men joining the army it was not possible for webbing manufacturers to supply enough sets of equipment needed so leather maker's were employed to make a newly designed '1914 pattern leather' equipment set. This pattern was worn throughout the Great War on the Western Front as well as in the Middle East. It was withdrawn from service in January 1921 and a lot of it was disposed of, making it very rare to find today. 

The belt is made from a mid brown coloured leather and features a brass snake buckle which fastens it at the front. The features brass buckles and straps which are all present and as they should be. These were often removed for 'walking out' purposes which makes complete examples such as this hard to find. There are no stamps or markings that I can find. 

The belt is in good condition with some signs of wear and age. Overall it displays well with no serious flaws or damage and the leather is soft and pliable with no dry areas or cracking. 

A nice original example of this pattern of belt.