The equipment was designed in 1888 by Colonel Slade and Major Wallace for use with the first
.303-inch calibre rifles, replacing the valise equipment, pattern 1870, which had entered service in 1871. The Slade–Wallace equipment weighed , which was the lightest infantry equipment issued to British troops up to that time. The belts, straps and pouches were made from
buff coloured leather, which was whitened with
pipe clay; the
haversack was made of white canvas, except for
rifle regiments which had black. It was the standard equipment worn by British and Imperial infantry during the
Second Boer War. It proved unsuitable for holding modern ammunition, because the pouches had been designed before the introduction of the
clip charger which allowed for rapid reloading, and could only accommodate individual rounds. The leather also tended to deteriorate during long periods in the field. After the war, review of the British Army's performance was conducted by the 1903
Royal Commission on the War in South Africa, which heard evidence that the Slade–Wallace equipment was "cumbersome, heavy and badly balanced" and "an absurdity". As a stop-gap measure, the leather
1903 Bandolier Equipment was issued, but it quickly proved to be unsuitable for infantry use and was itself replaced by the
1908 Pattern Webbing. After the outbreak of the
First World War, quantities of Slade-Wallace equipment sets were brought out of storage for the use of recruits in training, and was used on active service by some British
colonial troops in the
East African campaign. The whitened Slade–Wallace equipment continued to be worn for ceremonial duties by the
Brigade of Guards until 1939, and other regiments in that era sometimes wore the whitened belt with
Service Dress on formal occasions. ==Description==