Sunday 6 May 2012

Danish M/1873 water bottle (infantry)

 Above: A drawning of the M/1873 water bottle, this one for mounted troops, and the M/1895 water bottle. The last glass water bottle and the first aluminium water bottle in service wit the Danish army. The breaking point between the "good old days" and the industrialised 20th. century.
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The M/1873 water bottle, is one of the longest serving water bottles in the Danish army. They continued to be used during the First World War with the reservist that manned the many fortifications during the war and it was not removed from service before the 1920s.

It came in two different versions. One for mounted troops, i.e., cavalry and one for infantry. 
The cavalry version had three leather loops, and a shoulder strap instead of a belt loop. The Guard Hussars where the only regiment that used a white shoulder strap. 
The bottle is made of clear glass and the cover is made of two pieces of leather. 
The leather is made from undyed cowhide. 
My bottle, like most of the other bottles out there, is missing its cork and it is 18,2 cm. tall.
It replaced the previous glass bottle, the M/1853/57, used during the war of 1864.