Sam Browne belt Sam Browne belt The Sam Browne belt is a wide belt, usually leather, supported by a narrower strap passing diagonally over the right shoulder (although Royal Canadian Mounted Police non-commissioned members wear theirs over the left shoulder). It is most often a part of a military or police uniform. General Sir Sam Browne was a 19th-century British Indian Army officer who had lost his left arm; this made it difficult for him to draw his sword, because the left hand was typically used to steady the scabbard while the right drew out the sword. Browne came up with the idea
Belt buckle simple loop or "D" shaped frame (see: D-ring), but "double-loop" or "center post" buckles whose prongs attach to a fixed center section appear in the 8th century. Very small buckles with removable center pins and chapes were introduced and used on shoes, beginning in the 17th century, but not often for waist-belts. A "chape" is the fixed cover or plate which attaches buckle to belt while the "mordant" or "bite" is the adjustable portion. Plate-style "buckles" are common on western military belts of the mid-19th century, which often feature a three-hook clasp: two hooks fitting into one end of the