Bren Gun Spare Barrel Bag
The British "BREN" canvas bag for the spare barrel and parts — officially known as the Bren Gun Spare Barrel Bagor Bren Holdall. Because the Bren light machine gun was air-cooled, the barrel quickly overheated during intensive use. The second man of the Bren team (Number 2 ) carried this bag to have a cooled spare barrel and maintenance tools quickly at hand.
Characteristics & Layout
The bag is recognizable by its elongated shape and specific external pockets, designed for maximum efficiency in the field:
- Main compartment: Elongated compartment spanning the entire length to safely store the spare barrel.
- Large front pocket: Specially designed for the canvas spare parts wallet (Spare Parts Wallet), which contained spare parts such as an extra breech block, firing pins, and springs.
- Small pockets (top and bottom): Pockets for specific tools such as the wooden cleaning rod, an oil bottle for graphite grease, a tool to remove carbon buildup (reamer), and a small can of oil.
- Carrying straps: Equipped with a wide, adjustable shoulder strap to wear diagonally across the back, as well as a small handle on the back to quickly pick up the bag like a suitcase.
Variants per Country & Period
Although the basic design remained the same, there are unique differences:
- British Original (WW2): Usually made of a stiffer, heavy web material (often khaki-colored) with brass buckles and fasteners.
- Canadian & Australian (WW2): Often produced in a lighter, smoother woven canvas (instead of webbing) due to material shortages. Canadian versions often bear the well-known stamp of a Broad Arrow inside a 'C'
- Australian variants from 1943: Sometimes featured a slightly too small front pocket, which was corrected in late 1944 with a Jungle Green canvas variant.
