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Old 01-08-13, 16:03
Lynn Eades Lynn Eades is offline
Bluebell
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Tauranga, New Zealand
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Early on there was common use of leather straps. There were also quite a few rubber straps on carriers. Eventually (I believe) all moving to the webbing. Maybe by the time Canada was producing carriers the leather and rubber were saved for other things.
From Britains perspective there were shortages of everything. They were in a dire situation.
I have 3 years of ACI's at home. 1941,1942, and 1943. Here from memory is an example of one of the orders: (It might seem a bit silly now)
One order outlined the rubber shortage.
The production of pencils with rubbers was cut back with only a few areas of service allowed them(with rubbers). The rubbers(erazers) were removed from worn out pencils, and along with broken rubber bands, were returned for recycling.
(also, bench mounted pencil sharpeners were withdrawn because they chewed through the pencils too fast)
BTW.Toilet paper was also rationed, with allowances of so many squares per person per month each person.
Components such as straps would have been made from what was available, the availability of which, depended on which ships made it through.
I have a number of NOS carrier straps, in leather, rubber, and canvas web.
Perry, I think the U.S used a lot of leather early on, but leather exposed to the elements suffers if not looked after. How does the date of your parts book line up with the date of your sexton?. It could easily have been leather early on, and changed over to canvas. I assume Shermans predated the sextons.
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