1888 Pattern Valise Equipment bayonet frog

General Service Mark II bayonet frog as worn with Valise Equipment, 1888. The frog is made from two pieces of leather: the loop which passes over the belt, and the front of the frog. It measures 9 1/2 inches (240 mm) in length. The pieces of the frog are secured with stitching along each side of the front of the frog. A small buff leather strap with brass buckle lies across the top of the front for securing the bayonet and is reinforced at each end with a tinned copper rivet and washer. A further two rivets and washers secure the lower corners of the frog, while four are used to secure the lower sides of the loop. The back is stamped 'D 2 02'.

British Valise equipment was first adopted in 1871. It underwent a number of modifications, the major ones resulting the 1882 and 1888 patterns of the equipment. The 1888 Pattern Valise Equipment was also known as the Slade-Wallace equipment, after its two designers, Colonel Slade and Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Wallace. The complete equipment consisted of a waist belt, two ammunition pouches, a pair of braces with movable buckles and a keeper, two greatcoat straps, a mess-tin strap, and a valise to carry clothing, cutlery and other personal equipment. This pattern was issued to British and colonial forces but was replaced with 1903 Bandolier equipment after its performance was criticised in the Boer War. The 1888 Pattern equipment was in service at most for 15 years though some parts, such as waist belts, were retained for ceremonial purposes. The Mark II version of the 1888 Pattern Equipment was adopted in 1899.