Here the term ‘Desert Goggles’ is taken as those goggles which seem to have been issued to British Empire Troops specifically for use in desert campaigns in the late 19^th to mid 20^th Century. These goggles differ from the more ubiquitous; dust; general purpose; transport; tank; dispatch rider; mountain and snow goggles issued from mid-WWI by most nations, in being campaign specific. The three main goggle types discussed here were used in the Sudan (1882-98); the Mesopotamian (1914-18) and the North African (1940-43) campaigns respectively.

The ‘Sudan’ goggles have been usefully discussed on several relevant forums (see References), as have the ‘Mesopotamian’ goggles, however, the ‘Mesopotamian’ and ‘North African’ (or SLM) goggles have usually been assumed to be virtually identical, apart from the 1940s date stamp on the latter, here however, it appears that they were in-fact quite different, although some transition types may exist.

The ‘Sudan’ goggles

Arid deserts are dusty, bright and often fly infested places. All three factors cause eye problems for people venturing into those areas. Various veils, masks and headdresses have been used for millennia in an attempt to relieve these problems.

As early as 1885 during the Sudan Campaign these problems were addressed by the decision to issue goggles. Sir Garnet Wolseley, who in the year 1862 had been an observer of the American Civil War may have witnessed the use of railway ‘cinder goggles’ there. In 1882 he was made ‘Adjutant-General to the Forces’ in Egypt and it is thought that he was instrumental in the adoption of ‘cinder goggles’ due to his Civil War experience.  It is not known if the goggles issued to British troops were US imports or whether they had been put into production in the UK; but they do seem to be exactly the same as the 40 year old US railway/civil War type.

In the 1880s there were not many goggle types to choose from; up until the early twentieth century glass was not as we know it today, it was very brittle. As such the wisdom of putting pieces of it less than an inch from One’s eyes was not axiomatic; unless for ophthalmic reasons. As a result glass eye protection at the end of the 19^th century, in situations where it might be struck by hard objects, was rare. Back in the second quarter of the C19th small glass ‘Railway spectacles’ and ‘cinder goggles’ had evolved (the former in France and the latter in the USA), from the common tinted plain glass spectacles used internationally as sun glasses. The Railway Spectacles and Cinder Goggles were for use on the footplates of steam trains and for passengers in open carriages. Wind, smoke, soot and small cinders, however, were the only hazards expected. Horse transport had never produced the sustained speeds where eye protection was thought necessary, other than rudimentary cloth veils against insects and splashed mud.  Goggles, as we know them really first start to appear in the 1890s for the burgeoning number of cyclists brought on by the introduction of the ‘Safety Bicycle’ and pneumatic tires. A trend later spurred by the nascent motorcar market. Various non-glass goggles and eye-shields appeared in the 1890s, often using mica, (a common platy crystal found in granitic rocks, but very rare and hence expensive in large usable sheets). Celluloid became common from 1900 up to WWI, at which time its explosive flammability was recognized as a handicap. The risk of splintered glass from the goggles themselves, as a perceived hazard, seems to have lessened in the mid 1900’s and more and more glass versions start to appear, as its cheapness, optical qualities and scratch resistance trumped any safety concerns.

It is well documented that the ‘Sudan Goggles’ had thick, strikingly blue lenses. Coloured glass has been available since ancient times; in fact producing ‘aqua’ or ‘crystal’ clear glass was a difficult and expensive process. Coloured glass spectacles started to be used for various therapeutic reasons from 1700 usually in blues and greens. There are images of Georgian gentlemen and Civil War troops wearing tinted glasses; these where simply tinted plain glass spectacles, ‘railway glasses’ (with folding side windows attached to the arm) or the wire mesh-framed ‘cinder goggles’ as shown here. Reference 4 goes into some of the therapeutic reasons why these were often of blue glass, however, another factor was that cobalt-blue when added to glass actually toughed it. This is the reason why old tin-ware, cups-plates etc, usually had blue rims; cobalt-blue glazes were more chip resistant, but expensive than other colours, hence just the edges were dipped in it.

Although it is well documented that these ‘cinder goggles’ were indeed issued to troops during the Sudan Campaign images of them being worn are quite rare.

There is little evidence that goggles were routinely used in other campaigns before the First World War, but Fig. 4 may hint that they did survive and were worn, whether as old stock reissued, privately bought from ‘posh shops’ or retrieved from Granddad’s dresser drawer is unknown.

Better made versions of the ‘cinder goggles’ were in store catalogues by the end of the 1890s. These had black ‘mole skin’ velvet edging and straps. The straps are crimped to the metal mesh and then sewn into the trim, rather than threaded through an eye, the glass was typically of a black tint. The straps were significantly shorter than on goggles designed to tie around pith helmets. These should not be confused with the military and original railway type of 1850-1880’s, see fig. 3 and 5.

The ‘Mesopotamian’ goggles

At the end of 1914 the British Empire again found itself embroiled in a desert campaign, this time against the Ottoman Empire who had sided with the Central Powers. The campaign against the Ottoman Turks and their allies was to be waged on four fronts; with British forces engaging at the Dardanelles, Mesopotamia and Egypt-Palestine areas; with Russian forces engaging from the North. The Dardanelles and the Egypt-Palestine front were administered from London; the Mesopotamia front was launched by British forces in India who landed in the Persian Gulf. This may have had an important bearing on the issuing of goggles, as from at least 1907 the Indian ‘Field Service Manual’ contained regulations stipulating that when on-campaign or on-the-march ‘sun spectacles’ be issued.

The manufacturing mark, M&Co is not unique, with a number of companies using the monogram during the first half of the C20th (including silver smiths, watchmakers; munitions, webbing, bag and glass makers). It must be noted that the frame of a pair of goggles does not leave much space for verbose markings.

Transition Types?

The photographs in Fig. 6 and 10, seem to show that ‘Mesopotamian goggles’ were larger and different in detail to the ‘SLM’ goggles of WWII, however, whether these ‘M&Co’ goggles were the only type used in Mesopotamia is open for debate, as the pictorial evidence is scant.

The family resemblance of M&Co and SLM goggles is obvious; the frame colour, strap material and attachment, the leather nose bridge and of course the case they were supplied in. But was the (as yet unmarked ‘SLM pattern’) used in WWI, as some would have it?

There do indeed seem to be ‘transition types’ (Fig. 11). The M&Co goggles were aluminum framed and had a single layer of blue glass; some unmarked pairs and a pair marked P.E.Co Ltd, are made of the these materials, but have the size, shape and vent pattern of WWII SLMs. Were these a transition type?  Was the pattern synonymous with SLM in WWII, issued during WWI? There is probably not enough evidence for us to ever know.

Unmarked pairs, identical to WWII SLMs, being of brass and having laminated orange/brown glass, are reasonably common; are these pre-WWII versions? or war-time ones which just missed getting a maker mark and date stamp?

Subsequent to 1917 all glass goggles issued by the British military had laminated lenses. Could the small flat lensed pattern have replaced the curved lensed ‘M&Co’ pattern around that date so laminated glass could be fitted? But the earliest aluminum ones still got fitted with the same, but flat blue single layer glass as the standard M&Co’s? Again, this can only be conjecture.

‘SLM’ or ‘North African’ goggles

These goggles are reasonably common, they are elliptical have the makers mark on the top front of the frame of ‘S.L.M’ and a date stamp at bottom; apparently restricted to 1940, 1941 and 1942. These goggles were issued to Commonwealth troops in N. Africa in WWII. It has been said that they may have been private purchase, but my Father was issued a pair in Egypt in 1941; he was a Bren Gunner, B Company, 1^st Battalion, Royal* Hampshire Regiment. Likewise reference (5) tells how Private L. Bevan of 1^st Battalion, S. Wales Borderers, was issued a pair and gives their subsequent history.

The origin of the ‘SLM’ stamp is obscure. They are not Spatial Light Modulators, as the IWM suggested. They are not from Mansfield; a web site has an ambiguous reference next to a picture of a pair, probably the location of the owner; the Mansfield Industrial museum has no record of SLM. In the right-time-frame and product scale is the American toy manufacturer SLM, but these are Commonwealth goggles and there appears to be no references to an SLM factory in the UK. Someone said they may have been an Indian company, but all roads in that direction lead to Walter Bushnell’s, James Murray & Co.,or J.G. Andon & Sons, Calcutta, all sold a type of round tie-on goggles, of the same date;  but not the SLM pattern. They may have been made by the London based S. Lewis’s, whose catalogues through the 1930s include a large range of goggles, including Government contract items, perhaps SLM is ‘S. Lewis’s Manufacturing’? but this is just speculation. S. Lewis’s did make a copy of the ‘Featherweight’ pattern goggles and indeed, some ‘Featherweight’ goggles from the 1930-1940s do have SLM on the back of the nose hinge.

Although confirmed as British Army issue in North Africa and being reasonably common on vending sites, photographs of them actually being used are vanishingly rare. This may be because unlike in the Sudan and Mesopotamian Campaigns, in N. Africa other goggle types were issued to certain classes of soldier, such as tank crew, dispatch riders, transport and special-forces etc. All these groups were issued British Army General Purpose goggles (Fig. 14, top panel), based on the Triplex Featherweights of WWI.  So these little SLM goggles seem to have been ‘emergency goggles’ for general troops, for use when travelling in dusty conditions, during sandstorms and possibly during gas attacks etc. The tie-on-straps make them impractical for general use, they cannot easily be slipped on and off etc. But they were small, handy and the tin made them ideal for carrying in a pocket.

From the dates inscribed on the frames, this incarnation of ‘Desert Goggles’ seem to have been introduced in 1940 and last produced in 1942, the information contained in Reference 6 may explain why they were discontinued in that year.

Acetate… ‘anti gas eye shields’. Introduced in 1937 they were designed to protect the eyes from liquid gas but were authorized for use as anti dust goggles in 1943.

So it can be imagined that the cheap acetate ‘anti gas eye shields’ were used alongside the expensive brass SLM ‘anti dust goggles’,  but replaced them in 1943 when the acetate shields were authorized for use as dust goggles as well? Hence the cessation of the latter’s production in 1942.

Whether Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s unintended endorsement of the acetate eye shields as dust goggles had any influence on the British Army’s decision is unknown.

With the withdrawal of the SLM goggles the era of campaign specific goggles ended. By the end of WWII the Polaroid 1021 and its derivatives; the B8 and M1944 etc, rubber framed, plastic lensed goggles ushered in a new era. By the end of the 1950s most troops world-wide were issued with a locally produced version of this style. They same basic pattern, with modern materials and styling are today’s ballistic and tactical goggles and material advances have lead to all plastic wrap-around military grade sunglasses.

The days of string or ribbons, glass and pressed metal or cloth cups, has passed.

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Stanley Louis Saunders, my father.  At left some time in the 1940s and right in 1993 in ‘Rue The Royal Hampshire Regiment’ in Le Hamel, Normandy, France. The first time he had been abroad since being shot in the stomach whilst advancing on the radar station above Arromanches, the morning of 7^th June 1944; after landing with B Company, 1^st Battalion, the Royal* Hampshire Regiment, at H+ 5 (or 7:30 am) on D-Day, the day before, when they successfully took Anselles-sur-Mer. In the 1970s he gave me his little pair of SLM goggles he was issued in Egypt in 1941. Later I actually put elastic on them and wore them whilst working on Mt. Etna in the early 1990s. I subsequently lost them and always felt a bit sad about it (Dad died in 1999). In 2014, I discovered I could buy goggles on eBay, so I did!

* My Dad always called it The ‘Royal’ Hampshire Regiment, but it wasn’t given this epithet until 1946

Steve Saunders

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

6^th February 2018

References

 

1. http://www.militarysunhelmets.com/2012/british-army-neck-curtains
2. http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8209
3. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/topic/32872-sunglasses-for-soldiers/