From the National Army Museum, Great Britain

"Dear Mr Upton,

The combination tool for the Pattern 1853 was called a nipple
wrench.Apart from removing the percussion nipple the T-shaped tool combined
an oil bottle,screwdriver,ball drawer and other tools.A simple version was
issued to every private while sergeants had a more complex tool which
enabled repairs to be carried out to the mainspring and other parts of the
lock mechanism.

Wrenches of this kind were initially carried in a compartment in the
ammunition pouch which had been converted from the old 60 round smoothbore
equipment.This was regularised in 1859 when the nipple wrench is
specifically mentioned.However in 1860 a new pouch was introduced with no
provision for the nipple wrench.It may be that the wrench would then have
been carried in a uniform pocket.As it took some years for the new pouch to
be issued and the new Snider centre fire rifle was available, which did not
require such complex tools,the opportunity was taken to remove such tools
from immediate use on the battlefield.

Best regards

Keith Miller
Head of Weapons,Equipment and Vehicles "

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David Upton