Sam Browne belt : Captain R T Ramsay, 3 Australian Division Train, AIF

Brown leather Sam Browne waist belt with shoulder strap. The belt is fitted with a double clawed brass buckle, and has a brass stud and a sliding leather loop to locate the free end of the belt tongue. Above and below the stud are brass decorative flowers. A pair of reinforced brass 'D' rings are attached to the top edge of the belt, one at the left front, the other at the left rear, for location of the shoulder strap. A leather strap is attached to the top front 'D' ring, which has a single clawed brass buckle, which attaches to the shoulder strap. A further pair of 'D' rings are located on the lower edge of the belt, at the left hand hip. A brass flat hook is located on the left hand side. The shoulder strap, which passes from the left hand front (over the right shoulder) to the left hand rear loops, is attached at front and rear by a brass stud and eyelet, and adjusted by a brass buckle.

Associated with the service of Rupert Thompson Ramsay, a professional soldier, who was born at Sunbury, Victoria on 1 November 1888. Before the First World War he served as a volunteer for three years with the Victorian Scottish Regiment, one year with the Victorian Rangers and two years with the Corps of Australian Signallers. He later became a permanent member of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) and was a Staff Sergeant Major with the Instructional Staff before he was seconded into the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of war, enlisting on 26 September 1914. Ramsay embarked from Melbourne with the Headquarters of 8 Light Horse Regiment, as Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, from Melbourne on 25 February 1915, aboard HMAT Star of Victoria. On 16 May 1915 he arrived at Gallipoli, where he served for six weeks before being evacuated to Alexandria on 19 June 1915 suffering from a hernia. He embarked for Australia from Egypt on HMT Honoralo 29 July 1915 and was discharged as medically unfit from the AIF on 2 October. His hernia was later successfully surgically and, passed fit, Ramsay applied for a commission and re-enlisted into the AIF on 23 February 1916. He re-embarked from Melbourne 3 June 1916 as a lieutenant with 3 Divisional Train Australian Army Service Corps (AASC) on board HMAT Persic, arriving at Plymouth, England on 25 July. Ramsay served on the Western Front. In July 1917 he was promoted to captain. After the war he worked in the Demobilisation Department at AIF Headquarters in London. Between July and October 1919 he was granted leave for non military employment and training, and worked at Buckingham Gate Motor Works, London. He served again in the Demobilisation Department from October 1919 until his he return to Australia aboard the Bahia Castillo in April 1920. After the war Ramsay returned to the CMF, eventually being promoted to major.