WW1 Officer's Valise and Contents

In this video we take a look at the equipment carried by First World War British officers in their valises as part of their 35lbs baggage allowance, according to the 1914 Field Service Pocket Book.

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

I read an account of the Crimean War by a NCO of an Irish regiment. I believe his name was Mackenzie. He was offered a commission but turned it down. He wrote that he saw too many newly commissioned officers from the ranks go nearly bankrupt buying the kit required of them by their regiments and also being disparaged by the "High Born" officers.

[@John_Pace]

More recently, 1970s, I know WOs who commissioned effectively had a pay cut, due to my regiment's high Officer's Mess fees and cost of mess dress. But they took the commission because it enhanced their eventual pensions.

[@John_Pace]

​@freebeerfordworkers Yes, there is a most interesting article in Wikipedia "Temporary gentlemen" on WWI officer recruitment from ALL classes. I recommend it.

[@iandeare1]

My father, a WWII RAF Aircrew, Warrant Officer, was offered a commission, and refused - it was too expensive, and "the Sgts. Mess was better fun"

[@mickeyhoward3851]

I find watching these videos on the details of army officer life in WW1 hugely interesting & insightful. I have a great uncle who served as an officer in the first days of the Somme. He was badly gassed and had to be dragged to an aid station by his batman. He survived - just - and went on to serve in WW2, although in more of an administrative role for the army reserves.

[@chrisbailey9331]

Beautifully presented young Sir! And, jolly well done on your ‘turn out’. Your ‘Batman’ is obviously worth his weight in gold! I used to be a ‘living historian’ and am very familiar with all that you say and show. I belonged to the GWS for over 12 years and the Khaki Chums for a similar time. I had the privilege to know personally a few of the last surviving Tommies, particularly dear old Harry Patch. Keep doing what you’re doing for their memory and for your King and your Men👍🏻🇬🇧

[@byronservies4043]

Several years ago I purchased a reprint of "Yesterdays Shopping: The Army & Navy Stores Catalogue 1907" specifically for the images of campaign furniture. Most of this gear is in there, iirc, and that is part of what makes the catalog so incredible: so much of it is still available and sometimes advertised as a new concept!

[@BilltheDoughboy1996]

Awesome as always pal. The lantern was a nice touch!

[@LBS4]

That folding lantern is fantastic, thank you for the vid!

[@Raj-nh3fc]

We called them "holdalls" in India and there used to be several such holdalls used during train travels for sleeping at night in a family shared between members. It contained a light thin matress, bedshets, blanket, a small pillow and pockets for some small things like slippers and toilet kit. I remember my mother always packing a holdall along with an earthenware water pitcher for cold drinking water, lunch or picknic basket with food and ofcourse our luggage. There was no such thing as light travel in those days and coolies were assured their jobs.😂

[@Raginglaswegian2008]

Keep up with this content!

[@dondouglass6415]

Another fascinating video. Huzzah!!

[@simongee8928]

Not a jacket, it's a tunic - ! 😊

[@georgelutes1230]

A very nice video though the level of volume is quite low making it difficult to hear.

[@mattyb7736]

You don't have a volume control on your device? I suppose you want someone to adjust it for you too?

[@georgelutes1230]

@@mattyb7736 Yes, I do have volume control. Two, actually. I only rarely go very high on either but with them both maxed out the volume on most of his videos is barely audible.

[@evinchester7820]

I read a bit on Churchill and his service in WWI. He wrote his wife to seen him some waders. I assume it was due to the water and the mud in the trenches.

[@SevenRavens007]

Very cool video, although I did wonder whether you created these videos as an excuse to wear your splendid officers uniform!

[@giuseppinavolpe2873]

Sewing kit is very styled

[@robertrobert7924]

I especially loved the folding brass lantern. I wonder if anyone makes reproductions of those? I collect kerosene and candle lanterns. I did living history events of the North American Fur Trade 1800-1840. At night we only had campfire and candle light. And occasionally a full moon, meteor, or comet.

[@1896JJM]

They sure do! That is what is known as a Stonebridge Automatic folding lantern. You can find them online with most being sold in the USA

[@peterwood2246]

Interesting cheers big yin 😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@thefuunylaughguy]

Would love to buy you a pint and have a chat with you! As a fellow highlander I feel the knowledge you have would make great conversation

[@joshhoffman1975]

Cool lanten!

[@utoob312]

Spare latrine paper would have been an idea. Daily ration issue was, if any, 3or 4 sheets i think

[@feliscorax]

Well, shit, that ain’t nearly enough once the dysentery sets in.

[@jeffreycrawley1216]

Are you whispering in case the Bosch in the next trench might be listening?

[@TalmidAndy]

We Scots do not find it necessary to constantly raise our voices to be heard. The Subaltern is speaking at an appropriate level to be heard by a classroom full of attentive students.

[@jeffreycrawley1216]

@@TalmidAndy Is the class having a lesson in lip reading then? Also, shouldn't it be wee Scots? 😉

[@harrywhiting1307]

May i ask where you obtained your Valise? I rather presume it is original? I can't find a good reproduction for love nor money. Thank you

[@dingram1066]

Same I’m looking for a good one.

[@jbgissing]

How would the valise be carried? I can see how it might be secured for a mounted officer, but what about someone on foot?

[@jbgissing]

I suppose officers had a batman at this time. Pte Baldric would carry it!

[@nomadmarauder-dw9re]

Transport vehicles. Horse drawn or motorized. Or some other rank carried it. Batman.

[@davidcarr7436]

Im certain that there must be a special code book (likely published in a Baden Powell scouting book) on how to decipher the monetary system of the British Isles. What does 55/00 mean? Pounds? Shillings? Pence???

[@jonathanhicks140]

55 shillings, or £2 15s. £2.75 in today’s terms. A lot back then.

[@davidcarr7436]

@jonathanhicks140 thanks for clarifying that. Almost 5 dollars Canadian.

[@longtabsigo]

How was this transported? I’ve never seen one of these on an officers back, were the officers mounted?

[@jamestarbet9608]

More than likely it would have been brought forward with the rest of the unit's baggage via train or wagon after securing their forward position. It is small enough that He could have braced it on his shoulder, or had one of the Men do so for him, for the short distance from transport to his billet.

[@michaelmartin9022]

Officers at the time (not sure of lower-ranked officers, but certainly captains and beyond) had a "Batman", who was a normal soldier assigned to be the officer's personal servant. It was likely the batman who carried things like this. See also the system of "fagging" in public schools (UK meaning) at the time.

[@jasonnicholasschwarz7788]

​@@jamestarbet9608the logistics behind all of this must have been so well organized! Imagine bringing all that stuff, also books, personal items etc.and constantly worrying it might het lost which it did.

[@miketickner6108]

Another interesting video. Thank you. PS "house wife" is pronounced "huz-zif" when referring to a sewing kit.

[@4002corbe]

Absolute nonsense.

[@nichevo1]

CS Forester had his hero Hornblower refer to a "hussif" that being the thing he tied up his toiletries and things in, just as this is shown. No safety razors for Horatio!

[@Martin-km4yz]

First off, officer's did not wear putties.

[@roberthunter6927]

Officer or not, going into battle my priories would be ammo, water, rations, and medical supplies, and depending on the weather, some form of shelter. Notepads are handy for all ranks. But everything else is for being in reserve. The enemy does not care how pretty you are. Yes, hygiene is important, but washing and shaving creates artificial odors, and if you are a Fitzpatrick Scale One skin tone, your face becomes a beacon. A beard breaks up your facial features, so it is good camouflage. If you look at after action reports of battles, it is a story about soldiers running out of the essentials. No bullets, grenades or other weapons to fight with. Or bleeding to death. Longer term, lack of food or water or shelter, or sleep. For the parade ground, or in times of ceremony and peace, yes, there is a time for 100% smartness, for all ranks. I agree 100% on the point. But in battle, or battle-training, dirt is "good'. Soldier have to move, but if you don't have to, be a part of the ground. Troops will be far more impressed with you if you save a life, or give a soldier who is all in, a break. Take part of his sentry duty for example. Make sure the troops are as comfortable as possible before you take YOUR rest. Eat after them or with them, and share your food or drink, if necessary. A contact, especially if it is unexpected, and it is not uncommon for all ranks to have a "code-brown". The mark of the professional soldier is to get past that, and achieve the mission. And if you are an ordinary soldier, you do the same thing to your officers and soldiers. Look after them, make sure they are OK. It is about being ONE, an organism with a common goal. Every soldier, ranker or officers, has a specialization or specializations. I am unimpressed with the officer tradition, because if an officer's reputation depends on him looking pretty and little, else, it is a failure of leadership and training. My two cents.

[@robertstallard7836]

This is the contents of the valise. You wouldn't be carrying it into battle!

[@roberthunter6927]

@@robertstallard7836 Somebody would have to. Unless trench warfare of course. Sleeping gear has to be on the back. In a backpack. A solider has to carry everything into battle.

[@robertstallard7836]

​@@roberthunter6927 No - a soldier most certainly did NOT carry everything into battle during WW1. This is a common misconception. The officers had a valise for their personal kit (as shown in the video), and the men had the 1908 large pack. Both performed the same function - just different shapes! Both were intended only for containing kit such as the greatcoat and a blanket when changing stations. They would occasionally be carried when marching from place to place (although where possible they'd be carried in the baggage waggon in battalion transport) but they wouldn't be taken into battle; simply brought up later by battalion transport. You'll see this time and again in Operation Orders of the period, where the men are instructed to leave large packs at X location for collection by battalion transport. Here's an example: "Kits for Transport: Great Coats, Valises, Packs, Blankets, etc, will be dumped outside Batt. H.Q. by 4.00p.m. These men of "I Company who remain at the Brown Line will keep their blankets with them." (1 Bn, Rifle Brigade). For battle, if they were part of the initial assault force, they would generally carry just basic webbing with the small pack (haversack) that contained necessities such as washing kit, mess tins, rations etc. Follow-up troops would bring up the spades, wire etc that were required for consolidating the captured position. The greatcoats and blankets would be brought up later still or, more likely, the assaulting troops would be replaced by others and they'd be reunited with their large packs once out of the line. As for your last points, the basic premise was the same then as it is now - the men's welfare came first, as you rightly state, and the officers' second. The close bond between officers and men in the British armed forces has been borne out of this concept and well practiced before and since WW1. Even with the huge expansion of the army during the war, with officers being drawn from other than traditional sources, the level of training was still maintained at a high level and they performed perfectly effectively.

[@roberthunter6927]

@@robertstallard7836 Probably why they died like flies then.

[@robertstallard7836]

@@roberthunter6927 Quite the oposite! A soldier in contact with the enemy doesn't want to be burdened with unnecessary kit like greatcoats and blankets! Hence the very common sense-approach of dumping that and equipping lightly for actual combat with only the essentials like ammunition, basic rations and water.

[@paulyoung4422]

Those Boots would not pass muster.

[@giuseppinavolpe2873]

Are you the ghost from 1915?ok

[@ulrichkalber9039]

4:59 is 55/0 the price in pounds and shillings?

[@utoob312]

It's 55 shillings, (two pounds 15 shillings) Prices were often written in just shillings because it seemed cheaper if the word pounds (£) was not used.

[@tandemcompound2]

crate of Haig whisky

[@Thomas-ei1yk]

I might have included a grenade...or two.

[@robertstallard7836]

Why on earth would you include grenades in kit you're not taking into battle? Are you going to frag the batman if he doesn't polish your boots correctly? The valise contained the officer's personal kit, not weapons. If for some reason an officer wanted to carry grenades then they would be in his belt kit/small pack that he does take into battle.

[@ersikillian]

Nice video, but needs to be louder please.

[@furryfriendification]

What do yoju know the ole bivi bag. a golf club should fit too. If not , your man can carry it 🏌️‍♂️

[@spivvo]

Would be nice ifvyou explained the unusual items… putties…. And sounded like ‘housewife’ but looked like a covid facemask