John J. Pershing wearing a Sam Browne belt.

The Sam Browne belt is a wide belt, usually leather, which is supported by a strap going diagonally over the right shoulder. It is most often seen as part of a military or police uniform. Download high resolution version (500x718, 70 KB)Description: General John Pershing. ... Download high resolution version (500x718, 70 KB)Description: General John Pershing. ... John Joseph Black Jack Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army. ... A strap is a strip, usually of fabric or leather. ...

Its origins are uncertain. The earliest known specimen is one from the United States Army which dates to the period of the War of 1812 (it is on display at the National Historical Park Museum in Morristown, New Jersey). Given the design's straightforward simplicity and utility, however, it is probably impossible to determine where or when it was first invented. The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants United States Great Britain Canada Bermuda Eastern Woodland Indians Commanders James Madison Henry Dearborn Jacob Brown Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson George Prevost Isaac Brock† Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:6 •Other... Nickname: Military Capital of the Revolution Location of Morristown in Morris County (L); Location of Morris County in New Jersey (R) Coordinates: Country United States State New Jersey County Morris Founded 1715 Incorporated 1865 Mayor Donald Cresitello (D; term ends December 31, 2009. ...

The accoutrement takes its name from Sam Browne, an officer with the British Army in India, who by most accounts invented it independently sometime during the 1850s. Browne had lost his left arm in 1858 fighting during the Indian Mutiny, and found the contrivance useful in helping him wear his sword thereafter. Samuel Browne, 1897 General Sir Samuel James Browne VC, GCB, KCSI (3 October 1824 - 14 March 1901) was a British Army cavalry officer in India and the Near East, best known today as the namesake of the Sam Browne belt. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from a British perspective. ...

Due to its former use as equipment for carrying a sword, it is traditionally only worn by those to whom a sword would historically have been issued, i.e., officers. Throughout most of its modern history, however, its main function has been to carry a pistol, and it was found to be particularly useful with the heavy pistols typically used during the first part of the twentieth century.

In the twentieth century it was a mainstay in the British Army officers' corps, being adopted service-wide in 1900 during the Second Boer War after limited use in India, and later becoming popular with military forces throughout the Commonwealth. A sort of gear similar to the traditional Sam Browne belt was also popular with British and Commonwealth armed services; this consists of a similar wide belt with two vertical supporting straps, one over each shoulder, and its invention is also sometimes attributed to Browne, although other sources say he got the idea from a saddlemaker. After World War II the Sam Browne belt saw a decline in use in the Commonwealth; for example it was phased out by the Canadian military with the unification of the armed services in 1968. However, officers, and Warrant Officers (WO1 & WO2) such as Regimental Sergeant Majors and other Warrant Officers Class 1 & 2 of the British Army and Royal Marines still wear it in formal (No.2) dress and in some versions of full (No.1) dress. Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 5000 - 6000 Battlefield casualties, 15,000 disease related. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Canadian Forces Flag The Canadian Armed Forces (Fr. ... Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, Royal Marines and many Commonwealth armies including the Australian Army and New Zealand Army, and by Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) in the Canadian Forces. ... Two Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officers. ... The Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys elite fighting forces. ...

Its modern use in the United States began during World War I, when Army officers arriving in the European theater purchased them, probably in imitation of European officers' uniforms. The style was approved by General Pershing, commander of the AEF; however, the Army as a whole never approved its use, and even went so far as to station MPs at stateside docks to confiscate them from returning officers. Conversely, the style was adopted by the Marine Corps, and is even occasionally worn by officers in the Corps today. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... John Joseph Black Jack Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army. ... Officers of the American Expeditionary Forces and the Baker mission The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF was the United States military force sent to Europe in World War I.(In France, AEF is a news agency specialised in Education and Formation) The AEF fought alongside allied forces against imperial German... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ...

The Sam Browne belt featured prominently in many uniforms used by the Nazi Party in Germany, again in imitation of earlier European uniforms. Adolf Hitler and other leading Nazis are frequently seen in photographs wearing one. The Nazi Party (German: , or NSDAP, English: National Socialist German Workers Party), was a far-right, racist political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

The Sam Browne belt also enjoyed some popularity with civilian police agencies worldwide. It was probably most widely worn in this context during the 1940s and 1950s. This use has gradually faded out however due to field safety concerns*, although it is still worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the New Jersey State Police duty uniform, and some American state police forces in their full-dress formal uniforms, including the NYPD Highway Patrol's dress uniform. In Australia, a white Sam Browne belt is worn by the Victoria Police Mounted Unit, the New South Wales Police VIP Cyclists & Protocol Inspector and Parade Commanders wear a black coloured Sam Browne belt. The same Sam Browne belt is also worn by the Australian Federal Police Ceremonial Mounted Cadre. In Italy a black Sam Browne belt with red trims is still worn by Carabinieri Warrant Officers (always when in service) and Officers (only at time); a white Sam Browne belt is also worn by Italian Police enlisted personnel. Reflective Sam Browne belts are a popular safety device among cyclists for increasing their visibility at night, and a bright orange version is often worn by school crossing guards. RCMP redirects here. ... The New Jersey State Police is the state police force for the state of New Jersey. ... State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in the United States. ... The NYPD Highway Patrol -- also known as the New York City Police Department Patrol Services Bureau or NYPD Highway District -- is a specialized unit under the auspices of the NYPDs Transportation Bureau primarily responsible for patrolling and maintaining traffic safety on limited-access highways within New York City. ... The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously New South Wales Police Service & New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. ... The Carabinieri is the shortened (and common) name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, an Italian military corps of the gendarmerie type with police functions, which also serves as the Italian military police. ... Two Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officers. ...

• The saftey concerns stem from a nickname attributed to the danger in wearing this gear during a close physical altercation: the suicide belt. An assailant could easily grab ahold of the belt and either take the wearer of balance; throw the wearer to the ground, or even choke the wearer by ripping one end of the belt from its mooring and quickly wrapping it around the neck. Some criminals became so adept at using a police officer's Sam Browne belt against him, that police departments began ordering it discontinued as part of patrol gear. It remained, however, as a ceremonial/decorative piece of gear.

See also

• Police duty belt

The duty belt of a British police officer, with Hiatts Speedcuffs, handcuff keys and CS spray visible A police duty belt (known in the United States as gun belts[1]) is a nylon or leather belt designed for police officers to carry equipment which enables them to conduct their duties...

External link

• Sam Browne Belt. A full history and a controversy.
• "Sam Browne and beyond: a look"