Interwar Canadian-made Webbing

         Not many Canadian webbing collectors are aware that Canada began producing its own patterns of British webbing as early as 1924. These examples are invariably marked "G.-H.-G. LTD. 1924 - OTTAWA" and are quite rare. It is unclear if this company produced entire web sets or just replacement components, but Pattern 1908 Waist Belts, Water Bottle Carriers & Support Straps as well as Pattern 1919 Brace Attachments have been noted...

For years, this maker seemed quite elusive. Recently, however, the "sessional papers of the Dominion of Canada 1924" yielded a maker by the name of Grant-Holden-Graham, Limited, which fulfilled a number of orders for the Canadian Government in 1924.

http://archive.org/stream/n01p3sessionalpap60canauoft/n01p3sessionalpap60canauoft_djvu.txt

Among the various orders for awning repairs, clothing & Union Jacks, was an order listed as "...Great War Veterans' Association, Vancouver, band supplied for funeral of the late Sergt. T. Foster". Perhaps this was the order that required the webbing accoutrements in that year?

The following 1917 Grant-Holden-Graham, Limited catalog yields more details about the company including an address of "147 to 153 ALBERT ST., OTTAWA" as well as a branch factory at "43 MONTCALM ST., HULL, QUE."

http://www.scribd.com/doc/33874148/1917-Grant-Holden-Graham-Catalogue

The following are some pictures of the known pieces (note that one of the buckles on the water bottle carrier is on backwards)...

(Special thanks to 48th, who provided the pictures of the support straps!)

I have never seen 1924 Canadian webbing before. Very nice.

Good research that adds to the collective knowledge. Have you looked at the Orders-in-Council for 1924?
Thanks.
Clive

The 1924 contract was to fill identified deficiencies of 1908 Pattern web held in stores.

servicepub wrote:Good research that adds to the collective knowledge. Have you looked at the Orders-in-Council for 1924?
Thanks.
Clive

Thanks Clive! I haven't looked at the Orders-in-Council for 1924...I actually stumbled upon the sessional papers quite by accident!

edstorey wrote:The 1924 contract was to fill identified deficiencies of 1908 Pattern web held in stores.

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the information on the 1924 contract! Canada must have abandoned domestic webbing production shortly after that contract. According to Karkee Web…

“The Chanak Crisis of 1922, with its reverberations regarding Canada's relationship to Britain in times of war, caused the Canadian Government to again re-think its military needs. One result of the ensuing planning document was Canada's purchase, in 1927, of a limited number of sets of the Mills Company's latest Web Equipment.”

That purchase must have included Pattern 1908 webbing also, as the P1908 belt below demonstrates, with Pattern 1925 (Canadian Pattern 1919) arriving in 1928.

Pattern 1908 belt marked "M.E.C.ᴼ 1927" - Note the Canadian Government ownership mark



Pattern 1925 haversack marked "M.E.C.ᴼ 1927" - Note the Canadian Government ownership mark

The inset C W A mark is Canadian War Assets which was the organization responsible for selling off surplus Canadian military equipment.

edstorey wrote:The inset C W A mark is Canadian War Assets which was the organization responsible for selling off surplus Canadian military equipment.

Very much appreciated Ed! I just corrected the above post.

You have out done your self again Wgrenadier, you interest and attention to detail regarding webbing is amazing. It is always enjoyable to look at your pictures and read the information you have wrote.

48th wrote:You have out done your self again Wgrenadier, you interest and attention to detail regarding webbing is amazing. It is always enjoyable to look at your pictures and read the information you have wrote.

If you have time, check out my recent posts on water bottles, shell dressings & mess tins!

Thanks to Jonhno, we now have more information on Canada's domestic webbing production! Along with HUGH CARSON COMPANY, LIMITED (another very old Canadian military manufacturer), GRANT-HOLDEN-GRAHAM, LIMITED produced webbing packs and haversacks for Canada's Pattern 1916 Dismounted Equipment Set. This explains why G-H-G LTD. had the capability to produce webbing in 1924.



GRANT-HOLDEN-GRAHAM, LIMITED then became S.S.HOLDEN, LIMITED some time between 1924 and 1937 and produced items for the Canadian military during WWII.

Grant-Holden-Graham tent attached to an automobile - Vancouver, B.C. 1921

Just came across this listing for this First World War SD tunic. Take a look at the maker mark...Could Grant-Holden-Graham have made tunics as well?

I just came across a listing for a 1944 dated Canadian shelter half made by S.S.HOLDEN, LIMITED (the descendent of GRANT-HOLDEN-GRAHAM, LIMITED).



Notice how the style of the trademark did not seem to change much between the two...

I just found this great biography of S.S. Holden in the 1922 edition of Who's Who of Canada. In addition to revealing what the S.S. stand for, Spencer Sutherland, it states that Holden originally worked for Woods, Limited (another major Canadian military supplier).