I downloaded from The Internet Movie Archive the first Australian motion picture (1946) — "The Overlanders". It's about driving millions of cattle from the Northern Territory to Queensland in 1942 to deny possible Japanese invasion food while maintaining a large flow of meat to Allied armed forces. An interesting story with non-professional actors in many of the featured parts.

Okay, to my question. The men have a pouch on their belts. Every man has one, but I do not see anyone open the pouch for whatever is inside. My first thought was the pouches held compasses. But every man? That's a lot of compasses. The motion picture makes it clear that these are not pouches for .303 British ammunition for the one or two rifles on the cattle drive. I specifically do not refer to the obvious folding knives' pouches. The mystery pouches resemble those for Brunton pocket transits or for containing cans of chewing tobacco.

So anyone who recognizes these circumstances of a desperation cattle drive across 1500 miles of Australian desert in 1942, please inform me what is in the pouches and for what purpose it serves.

I don't know either,but I will recommend another Aussie movie, this one in WW1, The Light horsemen.

The Overlanders is a "must see" movie.

Sorry, I don't have a clue about the pouches. I will ask a military historian friend of mine.

The Light Horseman is a great movie too. That was a hell of a charge at the end. "They're under the guns!".