18cm (7in) x 5.5cm (2.2in) x 7cm (2.7in)
Silver officer’s pouch flap, applied with universal pattern crowned Queen Victoria cypher in gilt. and converted for use as a trinket box, the velvet covered base of curved form mirroring the profile of the pouch flap.
Originally worn by cavalrymen as containers for carbine rifle ammunition, shoulder belt pouches assumed purely decorative usage in the mid 19th century. Later 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 work to order.