WW I Khaki Canvas Mess Tin cover. The front portion is ripped. Marked inside is "2433609 M. GIBSON". This version of the Mess tin cover differs slightly from the Cover, mess-tin, dismounted men (Mark II) approved by List of Changes entry L. of C. 12326, dated 22 November 1904. The brass ring at the rear of the Cover has been deleted. Covers such as this one are referred to by collectors as Patt. '08, although they are not actually a part of that Web Equipment. They are, though, the most common Mess tin covers seen with Great War dates, and while most examples are generally similar to this one, they can vary greatly in detail from case to case. TIN, MESS, OLD PATTERN The D-shaped mess tin was introduced around 1814, towards the end of the Napoleonic wars, and continued in service until about 1938.