TL 1029 SA Pick Axe Helve Brackets

[Lynn Eades]

Question: Why do you never see tools held by these assemblies in period photos, in the field?
Answer: Because they were the most non functional useless arrangement ever.
I have the earlier one with an original rubberised canvas strap.
It hardly fits through the slot and it would be an up hill battle to get it through the slot, once the helve was encapsulated by it. The strap would never bend around onto the stud either. A supple leather may have been fine?, but still difficult to thread.
The carrier commander's line of thought would have been something along the lines of: "Throw them tools in the back and lets get the F*** out of here"

I can imagine Windsor Davies as the Carrier instructor, trying to teach a crew about this aspect of care and use...........