British/Canadian WWI Hate Belt

[buellmeister]

Graham,

Great Pictures! Thank you for supporting your observation of most of the belts being more of a souvenir venture than display of kills....

[alanowen]

To add my fourpenneth - these belts are nearly always allied abdges and not German. Theyw ere a record of an old soldiers service with the badges and buttons collected from his own side and not the eneny. Hate belt is an ebay generated term designed to sell to the unwary.

Alan

[leigh kitchen]

I can't remember if there's a write up, but that photo appears on the front cover of Howard Williamsons "The Collector and Researchers Guide to the Great War" vol. II.

[peter monahan]

To add my fourpenneth - these belts are nearly always allied abdges and not German. Theyw ere a record of an old soldiers service with the badges and buttons collected from his own side and not the eneny. Hate belt is an ebay generated term designed to sell to the unwary.

Alan

I couldn't agree more! I've seen - not lately, mind - a number of British leather belts (pre-WWI) studded with brit badges and the explanation was always 'from units the wearer served alongside", often in India. Or met in the pub, or rolled after a punch-up. I strongly suspect that these so-called 'hate belts' are just a version of same: souvenirs of service puffed up to naive buyers by unscrupulous dealers or simply the product of good yarns. How else to explain the ones with buttons and badges from both sides? Did the anonymous 'killer' bag a Frenchman by mistake

Yes, souvenirs were taken by both sides but, leaving aside the whole 'wouldn't dare wear it in case of capture' argument, who'd stop fighting/ducking/advancing long enough to strip enemy dead ? Tench raids were by definition 'in and out': nasty, brutish and short. It would take a real nutter, IMHO, to stop in the midst of that lot for buttons!

My thrupence 'orth

Peter

[Fromelles]

I think you'll find the belt is the woven webbing version of the British 'Bandolier equipment, pattern 1903 - Belts, waist, web.' introduced in April 1917 till Jan 1923.

From the 'List of Changes in British War Material'

19146 - 30 Apr 17

'The waist belt is 44 inches in length and 1 3/4 inches in width. One end is fitted with a brass tongueless buckle with brass plate, and the other end is fitted with a brass eyeleted, tip. It is also provided with a brass slide which is secured to the belt by means of a web loop, 6 1/4 inches in length and 1/2 inch in width.'

Cheers

Dan

[buellmeister]

Dan,

Thanks for your additional information. My belt meets the dimensions and description of the "Bandolier Strap" you have researched.

Regards,

Joel

[TerryB]

I purchased a German belt from an antique dealer who told me the same old story of the "hate belt"

Yeah, right.......

It was buckled with an all white metal Prussian buckle (late war issue) and held three Prussian buttons and several US ones, including some off-the-wall units such as the Chemical corps, Medical Corps, etc.

My educated guess is that this was probably one that a doughboy put together using buttons from his buddies as souveniers. At least I bought it thinking that.

I rather doubt that Fritz accounted for that many kills in those basically LOC units.

DrB

[zipperheads9]

These belts are harder to find as alot of th rarer badges and buttons were removed and the belts were discarded . I have a geramn belt that was a Hate belt , but contains no buttons or badges ,so it s used as my original belt for diaplay. The museum has 2 Canadian belts both are what look like Stable belts , but i think they are just waist belts , one is more refined and has just buttons ,the other is a little more jumbled and has every type of allied badge on it .I was told by an old Red Stripe Club member friend that these were usually collected by younger men and the gotta prove i was ther guys. They make for interesting looks into history.

Nice find,

mark