Pair of pannels : General Service Pack Saddle Mark V

Pair of pannels for the General Service Mark V pack saddle. Each pannel consists of a leather back, with a tan dowlas lining stuffed with horsehair. The pannels are attached to the side bars of the adjustable tree (REL33901.001) by two leather pockets. The front pocket only is secured by a strap and steel buckle. The plain pocket on each of the pannels is stamped 'DENZILDON 1943 D (broad arrow)D'. Each leather outer side of the pannels has an opening, secured by a waxed thread knot, to allow the horsehair stuffing to be adjusted to fit an individual horse. There are four rows of waxed thread knots, passing through the entire depth of each pannel, that secure the stuffing evenly in place. The bottom of the pannels are reinforced with a stitched and rivetted leather strap bearing steel links and hooks at each end to allow the breast collar and breeching to be attached. A breeching strap is attached to the rear link on each panel. One strap is stamped with a broad arrow and 'JT AUSTRALIA .....OHL & SONS LTD BRISBANE 1916' and the other with 'C.G.H.F.' (Commonwealth Government Harness Factory) and a broad arrow.

In 1904 the British Army adopted a new General Service (GS) pack saddle with an adjustable tree, known as the Mark V pack saddle. The main innovation was the adjustable tree created by having the front and back steel arches jointed to the wooden sidebars, which allowed them to turn to adjust to the size of the back of whatever animal carried the saddle, from the largest horse to the smallest donkey, and eliminated the need to manufacture saddles in different sizes. The saddle could be adapted, by the addition of hanging bars, or universal slats, to carry a wide variety of stores, tools and equipment, and also wounded men. The GS pack saddle was used in both world wars by both the British and Australian armies. The use of pack saddles was especially important in the campaign in Palestine during the First World War where wheeled transport was often not an option. Each machine gun carried by light horse units was transported on a pack saddle, and was accompanied by a second pack animal carrying spare ammunition. During the Second World War pack animals were routinely used by patrols, and larger units such as Norforce, in remote areas of northern Australia. The saddle shown here has two separate girths, which crossed under the animal's belly. Most later versions of the saddle used a shorter single girth buckled to a 'V' attachment, which was in turn buckled to the sidebars. Use of the 'V' attachment gave greater strength and stability to the saddle, and decreased 'rocking' of the load.