Field dressing (bandage)

Instead, a common location for field dressings is the left shoulder-strap of the webbing, either held in place with gaffer tape or contained in a small pouch that is not issued but can be purchased from several civilian suppliers.

The wrapper then acts as a simple flapper valve, preventing air being sucked in but allowing any that has already entered to be forced out as the casualty exhales.

The dressing carried inside the pouch was intended as an immediate compress to stop bleeding from a wide variety of wounds and establish a sterile covering.

This dressing, already developed in 1904, and subsequently introduced in 1906, was supplied to the troops in a sealed brass casing, to protect the bandage inside against gas attacks, and to also ensure that it remained sterile.

An improved version was introduced in 1940, designated First-Aid Packet, U.S. Government – Carlisle Model to tackle the problem of front line wounds and casualties.

During the Army expansion of 1940, approximately eight million were required for initial stock of equipment In the middle of 1941, the Medical Department decided to amend their specifications, and placed purchase orders for containers made out of tin (instead of brass).

During the early part of 1943, a plastic container (called Tenite) was developed and put into production, but under field conditions the package warped and broke open.

In the course of 1943 the items were wrapped in laminated paper, reinforced with aluminum or lead foil, and covered internally with either pliofilm, cellophane, or polyvinyl butyral and placed inside an appropriate waxed cardboard shell.