Sam Browne belt

In British and Canadian parlance, the Sam Browne belt is a wide pistol or garrison belt supported by a strap usually worn diagonally from the left side over the right shoulder and attached to the belt. Americans typically refer to just the shoulder strap alone as the Same Browne belt for reasons best known to them.

 

The belt was named for General Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824-1901). During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, (then Captain) Sam Browne received two sword cuts, one on the left knee and one that severed his left arm at the shoulder. He survived these injuries, but without a left hand, was unable to control or draw his sword.

General Sir Samuel J. Browne

Captain Browne used a second belt looped over his right shoulder to support the weight of a sword's scabbard on his left hip. He may have gotten the idea from infantry officers who wore two suspender-like straps over their shoulders instead of the single cross-belt, but there's no way of knowing for sure.
 Other cavalry officers in the Indian Army copied Browne's gear and eventually it became part of their standard uniform. The belt was worn by Imperial and Commonwealth troops during the Boer War, and was officially adopted in the British service by 1900.

The Sam Browne is traditionally worn only by those to whom swords would historically have been issued - that is, officers. It was literally a status symbol.

For most of the Twentieth Century, however, its main function has been to carry a pistol.

At one time the belt was often worn as part of a military or police uniform, but has fallen out of favour with most police forces. However, you can still find some Sam Browne belts on active duty officers. For example:

• British officers and Warrant Officers (WO1 & WO2) such as Regimental Sergeants Major and other Warrant Officers Class 1 & 2 of the British Army and Royal Marines still wear the Sam Browne belt in formal (No.2) dress and in some versions of full (No.1) dress.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) still wear the belt with their traditional red serge full-dress formal uniform for ceremonial duties (but not on patrol).
• The belt is also occasionally worn by Marine Corps officers, and some American police forces, including the New Jersey State Police duty uniform. Some American state police forces wear a Sam Browne with their full-dress formal uniforms, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, NYPD Highway Patrols, NYPD Ceremonial and NYPD Auxiliary Ceremonial Units' dress uniform.

The heyday of the Sam Browne belt was the 40s and 50s when it was popular with civilian police agencies around the world.

The Sam Browne belt also featured prominently in many uniforms used by the German Nazi Party, including Hitler, leading Nazis, and members of the Sturmabteilung.

Right or left shoulder?

Some organizations specify which shoulder the strap should be worn over, or establish informal consensus, but for most users it's a matter of personal preference.

Both right and left

If you're right-handed, you probably carry your weapon or heaviest gear on the left for easy access, which means the strap would attach at the left hip and go over the right shoulder. If you carry your weapon or heaviest gear on the right, than you'd probably use the left shoulder. For most wearers, there's not correct shoulder. Your gear, your choice.

The Sam Browne belt remains popular today with leathermen on both sides of the Atlantic.

Sarge D