1908 Pattern shoulder strap (suspenders / braces) without buckle Braces were introduced as part of Web Equipment, Pattern 1908 in List of Changes entry L. of C. No. 14288, dated 31 January 1908. The first issue Braces were 50-inches long and 2-inches wide, widening to 3-inches in the centers. Each Brace was equipped with a running 2-inch Twigg buckle for attaching the Pack or Haversack, and had plain brass tips. The Braces were attached to the buckles on the angled tabs at the back of the Belt, crossed each other on the back, and then passed down the front, attached to the buckles at the top of the Cartridge carriers, finally passing behind them to hang below the Belt. Brace is actually a flattened tube of thin, single weave webbing. For about 18" in the centre, the seam is left unwoven. The edges are then stretched apart at the center and sewn to make a lozenge shaped area tapering up to 3-inches wide. I assume that there must have been sizing of some sort that was supposed to keep the center section flat. What actually happened, of course, is exactly what one would expect. The load is in tension, which pulls the ends of the center section apart and the widened area folds up like an accordion. The second issue Braces were introduced by List of Changes entry L. of C. No. 15048, dated 22nd November 1909. This L. of C. entry made a number of changes to W.E. Patt. '08. Among them were changes to the Braces. The new issue were straps of plain, heavy webbing, 50-inches long and 2-inches wide. They were tipped with sturdy eyeletted brass tips. There would be no further changes to the Braces throughout their service life. Pattern 1908 Braces were made for many years, by many different makers. Because they were simple straps, their manufacture did not require the special Mills looms needs for the more complicated pieces. Not surprisingly, variations are sometimes encountered, usually to simplify production or, in time of war, to preserve vital materials. During the Great War, simple pieces like these were often made by war-time emergency manufacturers.