Pattern 1912 surcingle

Brown leather surcingle for 1912 Universal Pattern steel arch saddle. with black painted metal buckle at one end. There are two leather keepers below the buckle to secure the free end of the strap when it is secured around the horse and saddle. Stamped into the leather between the keepers is '20 FA [field artillery] D 1 [broad arrow symbol] H; amd further down the starp 'L' [large].

Standard issue saddle used by British and Australian mounted, artillery and transport units from 1912 until 1941. This saddle was issued to the Australian War Memorial by the Commonwealth Government Harness Factory in the late 1930s for display on the mounted hide of an Australian bred British army remount, which had been prepared in London for display in the Memorial, then being constructed in Canberra. The building and exhibition areas were opened on 11 November 1941.

Universal Pattern saddles were designed to have interchangeable parts, making them easy to repair. Although the wooden tree for this saddle was made in 1914, most of the leather parts were added to it later 1920s or early 1930s.