On this day 97 years ago a father in Newfoundland received a package of personal items from his dead son, it included one identity disc and one cigarette case. However, his son also had a pair of seal skin boots that his father had sent him. The father wrote the war office upon hearing of his son's death and suggested that the boots be sold and the money used to keep up solider's graves in France.
My question is, how could a solider from the NFLD regiment keep a set of seal skin boots or for that matter larger personal items? The boots are fairly large and would have come half way up the shin. Every solider must have had a locker or trunk but to me it seems like that would have been a huge amount of space for an entire regiment.
Here is the post from The Rooms (provincial museum) describing what happened in greater detail.
Edit: Just realized my mistake in the title...
Not too different as to how to how soldiers did in the Second World War or even today! Each soldier was issued a kit bag, here's an example of one belonging to a sapper in the NZ army and here is the scale of issue for an Aussie soldier, but was almost identical across all empire nations. (See "bag, kit, universal") which was where items which they would not need while on the line, such as a greatcoat in the summer months, rain gear, and personal belongings.
On these bags it would have the soldier's name, service number, unit, etc. These would be kept often with the unit's trucks behind the lines to be drawn when required and moved with the troops. These definitely were not secure, as it was not uncommon for bags to be cut in to and items stolen. Smaller items, such as food, pictures, small trinkets, etc, would be kept with the individual in their haversack.
Very neat story though, and a good picture :)
edit: fixed one of the links