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MILLS No. 170 HORIZONTAL POCKETED PISTOL BELT -
DESIGNED TO CARRY TWO MAGAZINES FOR THE MODEL 1911 COLT
PISTOL AND FOUR ADDITIONAL POCKETS FOR LOOSE ROUNDS -
RIMMED EAGLE SNAP – AN EXCELLENT SPECIMEN OF A RARE BELT
– ID’d TO TO AN ARMY CAPTAIN: Considered by
many collectors to be the rarest of the Mills pocketed
cartridge belts, this Mills No. 170 Horizontal Pistol
Belt was specifically designed to carry the magazines
and ammunition for the Model 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol
in a very unique configuration. Rather than carrying
the magazines together on one side of the belt in a
vertical configuration as with the Model 1916 Magazine
pouch, this belt was configured to carry the magazines
with one on each side of the belt which balanced the
load, and with the magazines oriented in line with the
belt for a more comfortable carry.
This particular specimen is identified via a matching
ink inscription on the left magazine pocket and on the
accompanying Model 1910 First Aid Pouch, “Capt. H. B.
Goodison, 3rd ILL.” This inscription is
probably provides sufficient information to start a
research project and it might prove very interesting to
discover where the Captain served when he wore this
belt.
The No. 170 Mills Horizontal Pistol Belt first appeared
in the ca. 1914 Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Company
catalog, advertising the belt as “regulation for
officers of the U.S. Marine Corps”. While it is
believed by some that this catalog reference was more of
an advertising ploy rather than a statement of fact of
an existing contract or arrangement with the Marine
Corps, due to an article published in the Military
Collector and Historian, the magazine published by
the Company of Military Historians, written by William
Phillips and Carter Rila, there is evidence of this belt
having been used by Marines. The photograph below shows
this pattern of belt being worn by Private William
Bihary, 2nd Division, 6th Marines,
73rd Machine Gun Company, believed to have
been taken during his service in 1916 during the Haitian
or Santo Dominican revolutions. The photograph does
place the belt in a significant historical context;
however it is unknown if the belt was part of a standard
Marine Corps issue or if the Private purchased the belt
with his own funds.
Designed to carry two loaded magazines for the Model
1911 Automatic Colt Pistol, the belt features a right
and left carrier – each with one magazine pocket
horizontal, or parallel to the belt body, and two
smaller pockets which each carried seven loose rounds of
ammunition for reloading the magazines. This
arrangement provided a substantial supply of 42 rounds
of ammunition, particularly important for an officer or
soldier armed only with the pistol. The right and left
carriers were joined at the back of the belt with an
adjustment strap. Each carrier section is fitted with
eyelets along the bottom edge for attaching a holster,
first aid pouch and other related equipment. It is
interesting to note that while the eyelets on the right
carrier are the standard round version, the eyelets on
the left carrier are the same oval version found on the
Model 1910 Cartridge Belts, which accommodated two
carrying wires, allowing the accoutrements to be carried
side by side and increasing the carrying potential of
the belt.
This belt is in very good condition in spite of the
proof of its use as evidenced by Capt. Goodison’s
information written on the belt and first aid pouch.
All of the rimmed eagle
snaps are intact with no tearing or wear around the
snaps, all of the snaps function properly, and all of
the grommets are intact with none having pulled through
the webbing.
Both of the belt’s metal end
pieces bear the Mills Company logo and patent
information, and both carriers and the rear adjustment
strap all bear the ink stamped Mills “Bullet” logo.
The inked logos are light on the surface, but are
legible as can be seen in the photographs when viewed at
an angle.
There are points of slight wear at
the upper corners of the magazine pocket flaps as can be
seen in the photographs, but the flaps are not torn and
they retain their full form. There are no other signs
of wear, fading, tearing or other damage on this belt
with all of the flaps and pockets in very nice
condition. The first aid pouch has seen significant
wear, but other than for the matching inked
identification on the pouch, the condition or presence
of the pouch is of little consequence in the context of
the rarity and condition of this belt.
Introduced in the early years of the 20th
Century, these pocketed pistol belts were carried in
numerous conflicts around the world to include the
Punitive Expedition into Mexico, actions in Central and
South America and along the Pacific Rim, and World War
One, with likely a low survival rate supported by their
rarity today – particularly in such nice condition as
this specimen. Rare pieces such as this belt normally
move very quietly from one collection to another in
private sales and having one to offer to the collector
community is a rare event in its own right and it is a
real pleasure to be able to offer this belt for your
consideration. $2200
NOTE:
Research has uncovered that the officer named on the
belt as described above is Harry .B. Goodison, who
served as a major and commander of the 2nd Battalion,
129th Infantry Regiment, an Illinois National Guard unit
during World War One and he participated in the Battle
of the Meuse-Argonne in September and October of 1918.
Copies of this information will accompany the sale of
this belt.
Thank you
to Miki Mangan for this information. If you need
any research done, be sure to see the contact
information for Miki under the "IDENTIFIED ITEMS"
section of this website. |
