Notch on Sam Browne’s belt
QUESTION Why is the shiny brown belt worn by officers in the British Army called a Sam Browne?
General Sir Samuel Browne VC GCB KCSI (1824-1901) was a cavalry officer in the Indian army who served with distinction during the Indian Mutiny and the Second afghan War, but his name is known for the diagonal brown belt he designed.
On august 31, 1858, the then Captain Sam Browne fought in an action in Uttar Pradesh that earned him the Victoria Cross, but it also cost him his left arm. as a result of this injury he developed the belt that bears his name.
Having only one arm made it difficult for him to draw his sword, essential for a cavalry officer of the day. His right hand was able to grip the hilt, but without his left hand to hold the scabbard he couldn’t complete the task in a fluid movement.
So he designed a diagonal belt to hold the sword’s scabbard in position and allow him to draw his sword one-handed.
The design became fashionable among officers and later, when they began carrying revolvers, the belt was found to support the weight of the heavy weapon.
Carrying the gun holstered, with the butt pointing forward, it could be drawn right-handed, across the body.
The belt gained wider approval during the Boer War and eventually became a standard part of the uniform for officers.
The Sam Browne spread to several armies, and is still part of the uniform in Finland and Poland. In the U.S., it was introduced by General John J. Pershing, commander of U.S. Forces in World War I, but is no longer worn.
Mussolini and Hitler wore Sam Browne belts with some of their uniforms.
In the British military, the Sam Browne was traditionally worn only by officers and warrant officers who carried swords, but later spread to all officers. It was also used by civilian police officers for a while, especially in Commonwealth countries, and it’s still part of the dress uniform of the royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Sam Browne belt is part of an officer’s no 2 dress uniform, and in certain regiments the no 1 ceremonial uniform. From World War II, it has been replaced in day-to-day use by webbing, which is used to carry far more than just a revolver.
Bob Cubitt, Northampton.
QUESTION Which is the oldest record label?
There were two competing formats in the early days of recorded music: the phonograph, which used wax cylinders with the audio etched on its surface; and the gramophone, which used disc records inscribed with grooves.
The phonograph, patented in 1877 by Thomas edison, could record and reproduce sound. The edison Phonograph Company was set up on October 8, 1887, to market the machine and its cylinders, making it the first record company.
In 1888 edison was bought out by Jesse H. lippincott, who formed the north american Phonograph Company. When this company went bust, edison bought it back in 1894 and reconstituted the edison Phonograph Company.
also in 1888, edward D. easton formed Columbia records, a subsidiary of the north american Phonograph Company, which distributed and sold phonographs in Washington DC (District of Columbia — hence the name).
Meanwhile, the German emile Berliner settled in Washington and filed and patented the gramophone in 1888. He established the Berliner Gramophone Company in 1894 to market his machine and discs, which were made of hardened rubber, a material he named vulcanite, and went on to have global success in shellac and vinyl formats.
In the battle of the formats, Berliner’s disc won hands down because the phonograph’s wax cylinders quickly wore out.
By 1912, Columbia had switched to gramophone disc distribution. The edison Company continued to produce cylinders until it folded in 1929.
Columbia records is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business. In 1988 it became a subsidiary of Sony. Deutsche Grammophon, the German company founded by emile Berliner in 1898, specialising in classical recordings, is part of the Universal group.
Ed Gallier, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
QUESTION Can spiders smell?
Yes, spiders can ‘smell’, but not in the way you might expect — they can distinguish scents using their legs.
While some hunting spiders have good eyesight, the great majority of the 44,000 known species do not, even though most species have eight eyes.
Most spiders rely on other senses to find their way about and to catch prey.
Spiders have hundreds of small hairs on their legs called trichobothria; these and the thicker hairs on its body can sense movement and vibrations — in effect, they act as the spider’s ears.
There is also another type of hair on the foot section of the front legs and in the two antenna-like feelers that stick out of the front of the spider’s body. They are S-shaped and open-ended, and capture and detect odour molecules i.e. smell.
These hairs let spiders respond to the sex pheromones of potential mates and competitors, and identify prey, enemies and changes in the environment.
Sylvia Acuejo, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.
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