The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
091.2008.1
World War Two 'Bergan' Rucksack
10/10/2008
Hermione Cooper
10/10/2008
World War Two 'Bergan' khaki 'A' frame rucksack with metal frame. Heavy duty canvas straps and metal buckles. Large pocket on front, two on either side. One inside. Rope drawstring at top. Used by the military circa 1940
Canvas, leather, metal
46(h) x 38 (w) x 27(d) cms.
1
khaki
A Norwegian, Ole F Bergan created his first rucksack from leather back in 1910, having become somewhat disenchanted with his old wooden pack frame which he had used when out hunting. He took out a patent No. 20547 about the same time and one of the world’s most famous rucksack companies was born. So famous did it become that over 100 years later folk still refer to a rucksack as a ‘Bergan’ even though it is nothing like one and isn’t even made by them - a generic term.
Bergan quickly became popular in the UK prior to World War Two but as we can see from the advert opposite Hitler’s invasion of Norway in 1940 stopped the supply.
The British military, particularly Commandos, often used Bergans in preference to their standard issue back packs as they were more comfortable and had lots more room. In the absence of Norwegian versions, the Ministry of Defence got specialist UK companies to make their own, a fine example of which we have here in the collection.
Dating from around 1941/2, thousands of these rucksacks were made on Ministry of Defence contracts - for security reasons the makers’s name didn’t always appear on the bergan, as with this one.
Real Bergans reappeared in the UK after the war and we have several pre and post versions elsewhere in the collection.
10/10/2008
28/04/2009
Bohuntin
Bohuntin
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
28/08/2019