WWII M1916 Holster & Mint Cowhide Lace. VERY RARE! (“WALSH 1945”) for M1911A1 .45 ACP NOS Unissued!! from the very last months of the war!!

Only one contract is KNOWN to have been awarded to WALSH in June 1944 for only 25,000 units.  Virtually all of the surviving WALSH holsters are dated "44" the year the one and only contract was let. Very, very rarely one appears dated "45". This is one of the rarer of the rare: a 1945-dated WALSH holster!!


VERY RARE! Superb Condition! VERY RARE! Superb Condition! VERY RARE! Superb Condition!

Mint "New Old Stock" Unissued.

There's no evidence that a M1911 has ever been placed inside this WALSH holster!

U.S. Marine Corps; Army; U.S. Navy.

+ Collectors of the WWII-era M1916 Holster recognize four categories of rarity/scarcity: (1) Very Common, (2) Common, (3) Rare, and (4) Very Rare.

+ Only three other America contractors besides the WALSH HARNESS CO. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are regarded as "Very Rare": Brauer Brothers Mfg. of St. Louis, Mo., Joseph H. Mosser Tannery of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Benjamin T. Crump & Co. of Richmond, Virginia!

CRUMP only made the M1916 Holster in 1942. It is believed that the contract was for only approximately 20,000 units!

+ Not only is this deeply and legibly stamped M1916 Holster from the VERY RARELY seen WALSH HARNESS COMPANY is also in stunning, beautifully preserved condition! These "WALSH"  stamped Holsters simply do not turn up at all ... let alone in this condition!

+ It is believed that sixteen contractors, combined, manufactured a wartime total of 1,830,536 almost two million (1,830,536) M1916 Holsters at a per unit cost ranging between $1.55 and $1.68 each.

+ It is known that Walsh Harness Co. produced only 25,000 Holsters, marked either 1944 or 1945 or 1.4% or all Holsters made. Of that 1.4% it is not known what fraction of that 1.4% have survived to the present!

By comparison Boyt manufactured over 430,881 holsters, Enger-Kress manufactured 341,000, GRATON-KNIGHT manufactured 188,437!

*****

This M1916 Holster was worn by Marine and Army Officers, NCOs, personnel with crew-served weapons, Aviators, Pilots, bomber Crewmen -- many of whom chose to carry a large frame M1911 .45 ACP in a belt holster such as this one rather than the Shoulder Holster. The M1916 Holster was also worn by any other Marine or Soldier who could lay his hands on a side arm!

*****

PARTICULARS of CONDITION:

* Deeply embossed "U.S." on the Flap.

* Crisply and deeply stamped in san serif font capital letters on the rear is the Milwaukee harness manufacturer's name:

WALSH

1945

* FANTASTIC light natural-flesh-colored, strong, flexible Cowhide.

* Cowhide LACE is present.

* ZERO 'crazing’ at the fold of the Flap!

* The Leather at the point of attachment of the M1910 Belt Hook is STRONG and 100% FREE of cracks, dry rot, wear or 'crazing'.

* ZERO breaks in the 'Hole' on the Flap for the blackened Brass STUD.

* ZERO scuffs, stains, personalized markings, scratches, cuts, dry rot, or crazing to the leather! This supple example has never been 'neatsfoot oiled' or 'saddle-soaped,' both of which tend to break down the fibers of the leather!

* The FLAP STUD, all four of the RIVETS, the two EYELETS for Leather Lace TIE-DOWN are still SECURELY SET!

* Only very, very minor traces of VERDIGRIS on the Rivets!

* ZERO rust, bends, scratches of damage to the period-correct blackened steel M1910 BELT HOOK. 

* ZERO breaks in the CORRECT ORANGE LINEN THREAD! (Current Holsters and reproductions are seen with WHITE POLYESTER thread.)

* Both the leather-covered wooden BLOCK near the Trigger Guard (to cant the pistol Grip away from the wearer's body) and the wooden BLOCK at the toe of the holster are present and securely stitched in place.

*****

The Walsh Harness Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: A Strong History of Tradition and Excellence.

he pioneering of the famous Walsh No-Buckle Harness was developed in a non-conventional way. In the fall of 1904, James M. Walsh, a research worker in Washington, D.C., returned to his father’s farm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for brief visit. During his stay, while walking across a plowed field, he was attracted to a piece of harness leather that was damaged by a plow a few hours prior. Curious of its remaining longevity, he picked up the piece of leather and cut it in two with a pocket knife; to his amazement, the stitching and leather remained strong, but the buckles and rings were tearing at the ends! As Mr. Walsh made this discovery, his younger brother appeared, teasing him about the ability to make a harness that would “last for life”. To this reply, Mr. Walsh decided to take on that challenge and create a harness that would indeed last a lifetime. 

Originally named The James M. Walsh Company, the creation of the first working harness without buckles and rings appeared on the market in 1914. Walsh immediately grew to prominence and this new invention revolutionized the harness industry. Mr. Walsh scientifically tested his leather harness the same as steel mills tested for tensile strength in order to prove that a Walsh Harness would outlast the competitor so frequently. He continued to innovate and modify his designs to accommodate modern ideas as well as demonstrate the money saving investment on purchasing a harness that would need far less repair as it aged.

To this day, Walsh Products is proud to continue to uphold Mr. Walsh's legacy in creating quality and durable products that will last. We never changed our standard of perfection and by using the finest materials, alongside the art of old world craftsmanship, Walsh has become a leader in the equine industry.

*****

EXCEPTIONAL research by Scott Meadows, “A Word on Holsters: Part 2” at “pre-98”

HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND ACTUAL USE

"From the time that war broke out in late 1941 until sometime in late 1943 almost all the holsters used by the American Forces in the field were leftover from WW1 as were most of the pistols. It is very common to find a vet brought back WW2 Colt in a WW1 era issued holster. From an historical context a holster was a holster, they used what was available in the supply chain. Seventy years later we collectors like to tidy things up a bit and stick WW2 made pistols in WW2 made holsters."

WHAT’S RARE?


...many makers stopped dating holsters sometime in 1944. All WW2 made holsters were constructed of russet tan oil finished leather. There were 16 known US contractors for these holsters having their maker marks stamped on the back of the holster. Some are “Very Common,” some are simply “Common,” some are “Rare,” and only four of the sixteen makers are regarded by collectors as “Very Rare.
WALSH is one of the "Very Rare" makers!

Not everybody made holsters at the same time and many of these makers listed as very rare only made holsters in 1942.

Manufacturers:

The G.I. .45 in World War II

by Bruce Canfield, appearing in American Rifleman, April 6, 2010

"...a handgun was essentially a supplemental sidearm and was generally employed in actual combat action only when the more effective rifles and automatic arms were unavailable, out of ammunition or damaged. An Oct. 23, 1943, Marine Corps document titled “Report on Infantry Weapons in Combat” gave a brief synopsis of the various arms used by a Marine Raider Battalion on New Georgia Island. The section pertaining to the .45 ACP simply stated: "Held up very well, but used very little.”

"Many .45 pistols were acquired by troops who were not officially authorized to be issued them as called for in their unit’s TOE (Table of Organization and Equipment). However, such regulations were rarely enforced in combat zones, and many G.I.s and Marines who could acquire a .45 did so, and considered themselves lucky.

"A leather hip holster, the Model of 1912, was standardized soon after the M1911’s adoption. This holster had a swivel attachment to make it better adapted to cavalry use. Just before America’s entry into World War I, the Model of 1916 holster was adopted, which differed from the M1912 primarily in the deletion of the swivel feature. Both were fitted with wire hooks that attached to the grommets on the bottom of the standard webbed pistol belt or cartridge belt. There were sufficient numbers of World War I-vintage M1916 holsters to meet the demand until the U.S. became actively involved in World War II. The M1916 holster was put back into production and almost 3 million were made by 16 different commercial firms between 1941 and 1945. These holsters were embossed with a large “U.S.” on the cover flap, with the name of the maker and year of production on back.

"A leather shoulder holster for the .45 pistol, designated as the “M3,” was adopted in 1942 for use by aviators, tankers and others who preferred carrying the pistol over the hip holster. An improved shoulder holster design was standardized in 1944 as the "M7." The pistol was secured in the shoulder holster by means of leather strap with a snap fastener. The shoulder holsters were also embossed with a large “U.S” on the front, with the identity of the manufacturer and year of production on the back.

"...It was not uncommon for soldiers and Marines to be armed with both carbines and .45 pistols. Nevertheless, the desire to replace the pistol with the carbine continued throughout the war. This was evidenced in a Jan. 26, 1943, Marine Corps document...

"Despite this official stance, pistols were issued in ever-increasing numbers during the war. As an example, the U.S. Marine Corps’ TOE (Table of Organization and Equipment) in 1942 authorized 798 .45 pistols for a Division but, by 1945, the authorized figure had been increased to 1,707. So much for efforts to get rid of the pistol. The situation was much the same in the U.S. Army where the carbines and .45s were procured and issued side by side in large numbers. The total number of M1911A1 pistols manufactured during World War II was 1,878,742. Clearly, the .45 was an integral part of America’s World War II infantry small arms arsenal!"