Uniform Accoutrements - Sam Browne Belt

General Sir Samuel James Browne was a 19th-century British Indian Army officer who had lost his left arm to a sword cut during the Sepoy Rebellion. This made it difficult for him to draw his sword, because the left hand was typically used to steady the scabbard while the right drew out the sword. Browne came up with the idea of wearing a second belt that went over his right shoulder to hold the scabbard steady. This would hook into a waist belt with D-rings for attaching accessories. It also securely carried a pistol in a flap-holster on his right hip and included a binocular case with a neck-strap. Other officers began wearing a similar rig and eventually, it became part of the standard uniform. During the Boer War, it was copied by other troops and eventually became standard issue.