7cm (2.75in) x 18cm (7in) x 6.5cm (2.5in)
Silver, gilt brass and cedar. Cavalry officer’s pouch flap applied with the gilt brass Universal pattern crowned EVIIR cypher of Edward VII (reigned 1902-1911), of the pattern worn by 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays), 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, 17th (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Lancers and the 19th Hussars. The base hallmarked Birmingham 1925. The pouch flap bearing the maker’s mark of Bent & Parker, Military Ornament Makers, Northwood Street, Birmingham (fl. 1863-1909).
Originally worn by cavalrymen as containers for carbine rifle ammunition, shoulder belt pouches assumed purely decorative usage in the mid 19th century. Late in the century the tradition of recycling the silver elements of an officer’s uniform for domestic use was developed with a number of prestigious silversmithing firms carrying out the bespoke work to order.