In fact this draw method was promoted by Boothroyd to Ian Fleming when he first proposed the B-M to him. Works equally well worn crossdraw on the belt (same off-hand draw). Here's a pic of one of the founders wearing same (caption states Martin, I'm not convinced):

jhmartin.jpg

Jack Martin was a Chief Boatswain's (pronounced 'bosuns') Mate in the Navy, and John Berns a Yeoman in the Navy; according to Elmer Keith both were assigned to Alaska circa 1930 when they met and devised the Speed Holster for long-barrelled hunting revolvers to clear the snow there; Martin being the leatherworker. Berns stayed with the Navy as a Clerk and there is no proof the holsters were ever made by him or at his station in WA. On the other hand, there is a category of the Speed Holsters that is marked with individual letters, that don't state location. They are believed to be earliest production. These are uncommon and the holsters made by Jack Martin with Calhoun City on them, perhaps didn't begin production until the expiry of the second patent by E.E. Clark that is marked on the earliest: so, 1950 when Martin announced to Keith that the company was back in business.

With the patent issuing in 1935, the war starting in Europe in 1939, the war ending in 1945, the Clark patent expiring in 1949; and the announcement coming from Calhoun City, it's plausible. The origin of the Lightnin' holster is very unclear, though. It appears first in the Calhoun City catalogue and uses an entirely different spring -- a wire form vs a leaf as in the Speed Holster -- and construction is appropriately different. It has more in common with the Hoyt, which was copied by A.E. Nelson in WA as was the Lightnin'; and perhaps there was a relationship there. Hoyt moved to WA many years later (1980) so not relevant to B-M which despite being purchased from Martin in '63 doesn't appear to have survived much past Martin's death in '68.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian