Uniform of the British Royal Field Artillery in the Great War.

1902 SD tunic. Four pocket wool tunic with brass buttons.  Later in the war the Army introduced an economy version of this tunic which had some of the features removed to allow the tunic to be made quicker, both versions where used till the end of the war.

1902 Pantaloons. The British Army Pattern 1912 Pantaloons were Cavalry breeches that had reinforcements on the wear points like the inside of the legs which were essential for riding horses.

SD Cap. The SD cap was the peak cap that the British Army was wearing when the first world war started it was also the smartest looking cap as it gave the wearer a crisp look, later on various hats were issued that were better suited for trench warfare.  This impression is worn with the Royal Artillery brass cap badge.

B5 boots. The British Military Army boot of WW1 was called the B5 boot, it was a brown leather ankle boot with a leather sole which was studded with metal studs.  The uppers were heavy leather with the rough side out which was also oiled.  Unlike modern combat boots the toe front is square shaped.

Long putties. Long wool putties that wrap around the lower leg from the boots to below the knee.

Leather Jerkin. In 1915 to help combat the cold a leather jerkin started to appear.  This was used instead of the heavy long Greatcoat which the bottom would often be covered in mud making it even heavier.  The leather jerkin also started to replace the goatskin jerkins.  The WW1 leather jerkins helped keep the body core warm and could be worn over or under the wool SD tunic.  When worn on the outside they also gave protection from wear and tear.  These were ideal for cavalry troops as they gave extra warmth without restricting movement.

Equipment of the Royal Field Artillery in the 1914 to 1918 War.

1903 Bandolier Equipment. The British Army introduced the 1903 bandolier equipment to try to replace the 1888 Slade Wallace equipment with something more comfortable and practical, unfortunately in practice it did not perform as well as intended.  Although the 1903 Bandolier equipment was not as good as hoped several items proved very useful and were adopted for use by the likes of the Territorial Army Soldiers and the mounted regiments.

1903 Bandolier 9 pocket. There were two versions of the 1903 Bandolier a 5 pocket and a 9 pocket.  The 9 pocket was designed for the cavalry and it had 4 extra pockets on the back.  Each pocket held 10 rounds of .303 for the SMLE Enfield rifle.

1903 Water bottle carrier. The carrier held the MKVI water bottle and was made from three leather straps which made a cradle, the cradle had a leather shoulder strap which was worn across the body.

MKVI water bottle. Blue enameled metal water bottle with a brown felt cover sewn over it.  A cork in the top kept the water in.

1908 Small pack. Canvas webbing pack secured by two straps and normally worn with the rest of the Pattern 1908 webbing as a back pack or hanging on the side of the webbing.  The mounted Royal Artillery used it with a long strap and wore it over the shoulder and across the body hanging on the side.

Shoulder strap for small pack. Long 1908 webbing strap which was used by the Mounted Royal Artillery to attach to the 1908 small pack so it could be used as a shoulder bag.

SMLE rifle. The Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) was the standard British Army rifle of the First World War and it was used by the Royal Artillery. 

1903 303 SMLE Leather rifle sling. The brown leather Enfield rifle sling was still being issued in 1914.