Military Bell tent

Standard British pattern Bell tent made from fine cotton canvas, designed to be supported by a wooden centre pole. The tent consists of a cone shaped upper section, 2.97 metres high, made up of 21 triangular sections sewn together, attached to a lower skirt section 610 mm high. The join between the two sections is reinforced with 2 inch jute tape. The tent is constructed with a pair of access flaps which are integral to the upper section, the outer hems of which are reinforced vertically with jute tape. Each flap is also fitted with a pair of brass loop hooks and a pair of reinforced eyes on each side to secure the flap. The skirt below and adjacent to the flaps is loose, and is fittted with one brass hook along the horizontal break and four hooks and loops along the vertical break to allow the flap to be placed open or closed independent of the flaps. For locating the tent pegs, there are 19 rope toggles along the lower hem of the skirt which pass through eyes, reinforced with sewn string. Each toggle is 260 mm long and is retained on the inside by a wooden bead knotted to each end. The distance between each eye is 55 mm. There are 22 guy ropes attached to the upper section of the skirt, each fitted with a wooden adjusting slider, 125 mm x 30 mm x 15 mm. The inner apex of the tent is reinforced with a heavy canvas panel and fitted with a thick rope donut for locating the wooden centre pole. There are three ventilators fitted just below the apex. Each has two hemmed elongated oval holes cut into the main tent body, covered on the exterior by a separate cover, 580 mm long, which is weighted and shaped at its lower end with a u-shaped wire. All brass hooks have been sewn to the tent in string in a decorative pattern. The same style is used on the sewn eyelet reinforcing. Stamped to the upper inside in black ink numbers 90 mm high is '1055'. One upper outer panel has been stamped 'G5' in letters 55 mm high. The inside of the proper right flap has been inscribed in ink with the following list: 'WHITTLESEA JAN 1925 ; CRESWICK JAN 1932; PLENTY JAN 1933; PLENTY JAN 1934; MT EVELYN JAN 1935; MT EVELYN JAN 1936; OCEAN GROVE EASTER 1936; OCEAN GROVE JAN 1937; CANTERBURY JAN 1937; KING LAKE JAN 1938; HEALESVILLE JAN 1939; HEALESVILLE EASTER 1940'.

Standard pattern Bell tent, as adopted by the British Army from the late nineteenth century. This style of tent saw extensive use by Australian military forces both at home and abroad in both world wars. This example was purchased as surplus from the military by the Salvation Army in 1919 and used by their Melbourne Girls' Youth Group for camping trips into the Melbourne hinterland. The handwritten list on the inside flap is a record of their destinations.

• Lower interlocking support pole for a Bell tent
• Upper interlocking support pole for a Bell tent