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MODEL 1912 TRIAL SERVICE SADDLE RATION BAGS – IN
LIKE NEW UNISSUED CONDITION - COMPLETE WITH ALL THE
ORIGINAL WEB STRAPS AND LEATHER LACES – EXCELLENT SET:
As one of the evolutions in
the series of saddle trials and development undertaken
by the Ordnance Department during the early 20th
Century, the timely approval and issue of the Model 1912
Trial Saddles to a number of regular army cavalry units
for testing in the field coincidently as the
deteriorating political situation in Mexico threatened
the security of the southern border of the United
States, guaranteed the 1912 Trial Equipments’ place in
US military history.
Designated in 1912 as the model name suggests, and
developed, manufactured and made available for issue by
1916, the majority of the cavalry units that Gen. Black
Jack Pershing led south across the border in March of
that year on his “Punitive Expedition” were mounted on
the Model 1912 Trial Saddles. The months spent in
Mexico provided the opportunity for such personalities
as Pershing, Patton, Eisenhower and a host of others to
not only hone their military skills, but unknowingly
begin their assent onto the world stage to fulfill the
roles they would play during the following thirty to
forty years. This happenstance of timing, and the
association with such famous personalities, secured for
the Model 1912 Horse Equipments what may have been an
otherwise unattainable niche in Ordnance Department
history.
This set of Model 1912 Service Saddle Ration Bags as
they were titled by the army, served the dual functions
of a pair of saddle bags, attaching to the saddle across
the rear of the cantle, or when reconfigured, served as
the soldier’s pack when he was dismounted. Having
survived in excellent condition, this set was never
issued and has not suffered any of the effects of poor
storage in the years that followed that damaged so much
of the early 20th Century equipment.
This set has never been assembled into the configuration
in which it would have been worn by a dismounted
soldier, nor do they show any evidence of having been
attached to the saddle, rather this matching pair
presents just as it left the factory. In its current
configuration, the pair are separate as they would have
been to be assembled by the soldier to mount on the rear
of his saddle. The configuration as assembled for wear
as a pack by a dismounted soldier is shown below in the
photographs of the plates in Ordnance Department Manual
Description and Directions For Use And Care of
Cavalry Equipment Model of 1912 printed in 1916.
The canvas duck is very clean with no wear, stains or
other damage. All of the metal fittings are present
with the majority of the original blackened finish
present and intact. The front of both flaps is stamped
“US”, the interior of each flap, and the interior of
each meat can pocket is stamped “P.B. & CO.”, and
“1918”. The original leather laces for lacing the outer
flaps of the two ration pockets together when the bags
are worn in the dismounted configuration are both
present and full length.
It is important to note that this set is complete with
both of the original “belt and stay straps” – the short
dual-purpose straps which are seen in the photographs
below attached to the bottom of each bag. These bags
stabilized the set when mounted on the saddle and in
turn when worn as a pack, the straps were moved to the
billets on the body of the suspenders and the snap hooks
engaged the eyelets on the top edge of the soldier’s
cartridge belt in order to distribute the weight of the
pack. These straps are often missing from these sets
and once separated from the set are virtually impossible
to replace.
Complete sets of the Model 1912 Ration Bags, once
available, are no longer easily found on the market, and
certainly not in this “new old stock” unissued
condition. This is an excellent set to complete your
Model 1912 Service Saddle which could never be
upgraded. (0906) $750
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