WW1 BRITISH OFFICERS SAM BROWNE BELT BROWN

This is an original Sam Browne brown leather belt.

SIZE:  100 CM (38"-40")

Sam Browne is a leather belt with a supporting strap that passes over the right shoulder.

Named for General Sir Samuel James Browne, a 19^th century British Officer who lost is left arm to a sword.  As it became difficult to draw his sword after his loss Browne had the idea for the second belt which would help steady the sword. 

The extra belt would hook into the waist belt with D-rings and these could also hold accessories such as a pistol holster or binocular case.  Seeing how well this new belt function it was soon copied during the Boer War by other troops.  The Sam Browne belt eventually became standard issue.

The belt was dropped from the standard officer’s uniform in 1943 and by the end of the WW2 it was not used often by the Commonwealth.  However officers and warrant officers class I of the British Army and Royal Marines still wear it in service (No. 2) dress and in non-ceremonial versions of No. 1 dress.

It was phased out by the Canadian military in 1968.

This belt style became popular in the United States Army during WWI and was mandated for use overseas (called the Liberty Belt) and then for all service members in 1921.  Now called the Sam Browne belt by all it became standard issue in the U.S. between WWI and WWII.  Initially issued in brown leather it was later changed to black leather for the Navy and Marine Corps. 

It was a standard part of the uniform between World War I and World War II.  After WWI these belts became universal among U.S. police forces.

The Sam Browne belt became of limited use once the Army no longer used sabers. Though they are still used today on some dress uniforms.