Chris Suslowicz

I reckon it's for use with Burner No.1 or equivalent, and is for sterilising (delousing?) blankets from what I can read of the instruction label. May be for field hospital rather than laundry use, of course. Operation appears to be: fill bottom of unit with water to a specified level. fold blankets as directed (so that there are no air gaps between the blanket and the sides of the unit that would let steam escape rather than passing all the way through the blanket load). Insert blankets as required, close and fasten lid, turn on heat (or place on heater), time three minutes from when steam escapes from top before turning off the heat or removing from heater. Just my 2d worth.

1988 dated will be Clansman, so probably the remote ("D10" handset), e.g: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLANSMAN-RADIO-REMOTE-D10-HANDSET-351-352-353-320-321-/260824155790 There was a "unit constructed" fan-out box made from a tent peg, diecast box and screw terminals in one of the Infantry Signal Training pamphlets, for use with the PRC351 to provide intercom facilities when dug in. I've not come across any of the adapters. Chris.

It is. The plate is for use with the 351, 352 and 320 radios, and allows them to be fitted to the lightweight carrier, the GS carrier, or the various vehicle mounts with the two bars/rods. The adapter plate has captive screws that engage with the tapped holes on the radio casing. This must be fitted to the set first. The plate then has a pair of inverted U hooks that go over one of the carrier horizontal bars/tubes plus the two screw up "J" clamps - unscrew those, flip the hooks around so that they will close on the other bar/tube and screw down the clamp to lock the set in place. Sorted! Chris. (There's another vehicle mount for a "clipped in" manpack set. This consists of a bolt down frame that accepts the entire manpack set without having to remove it from the GS carrier - it can thus bre quickly removed from the vehicle and worn when required.)

Station, Radio A43R (or A43M) from the 1970s. Ground to air 240 -350 MHz AM manpack set. A43R was built by Redifon, A43M by Murphy, to the same outline specification. The A43R was the one that made it into service, I think, judging by the numbers seen. Chris.

Early WW2 would have been: Infantry: WS No.8 (replaced by WS No.18) Light Vehicles: WS No.11 AFVs: WS No.9 Signals vehicles for medium distance WS No.9 Signals vehicles for longer distances WS No.12/R 107 The WS No.8 was superseded by the WS No.18 introduced in 1940, but there may have been a few still in use. The WS No.11 (and to a large extent the WS No.9) was replaced by the WS19, introduced in 1941. (The power units initially had a high failure rate in North Africa due to capacitor breakdown in high temperatures.) WS19 Mk.II was introduced in 1942 and WS19 Mk.III in 1943. The WS No.9 in AFVs was superseded by the WS No.19, and its use in signals vehicles superseded by the WS No.19 for short range requirements, the high power version for medium range, and the Canadian redesign of the WS No.9 that was renumbered the Wireless Set No.52 for longer range working.) Both the WS No.18 (with an outboard "Static battery box") and the WS No.19 were fitted to the Universal (Bren) carrier. Chris.

Errrrr... I don't think I want to go there! The obvious answer is that if _none_ of the "genuine parts" are pressure bearing components (barrel, breech, bolt, etc.) then it's not a firearm under the meaning of the Act. It will fall under the VCR act, so you either paint it a suitable colour or comply with the other reasons for having it. (And you may not be legally able to transfer it to anyone else.) I am not a lawyer (nor do I play one on TV), and don't have anything that would be covered by the VCR act.

Um, if it's been officially deactivated and had a certificate from the Proof House, then I believe you can get a copy certificate issued. It might be worth enquiring about that. (Check the stamps and markings and have the serial number handy - if they've got computerised records it should be a simple lookup.) Obviously, if it's not been stamped by the Proof House it's still a prohibited weapon, with all the potential penalties attached to its possession unless you're a duly authorised person. Chris.

The teeny-weeny triangle icon at the bottom left of the post. Hover the mouse pointer over it and it will say "Report Post". Simples! (Squeak) :-D

Ah, there are several things to consider here: 1) the 25 pounder is a light howitzer design, with a short barrel for indirect fire (i.e: lobbing shells over obstacles). It is close enough to 88 mm bore but is a _completely_ different kettle of fish to the German 88mm which was designed for direct-fire (initially as an anti-aircraft gun, I believe). 2) the 25 pounder barrel length is fairly short, consequently the muzzle velocity is relatively low (1750 fps maximum). 3) the 17 pounder is a direct fire weapon with a long barrel for maximum velocity - up to 3,950 fps. At more than double the muzzle velocity (and a 76mm projectile with correspondingly less drag), the anti-armour effect was correspondingly very much greater. Chris.

ZA.0437 Bags, Aerial Gear, No.2 Mk.II Used to contain the Aerials, Vertical, 34-ft, Steel ZA.11519, but it goes back a long way before that (to Wireless Sets No.1 and 11, etc. as a general kitbag for aerials and earth matting. (The Mk.I bag had leather ends.) For the 34-ft aerial, it has 10 x Aerial Rods 'D' (3-ft long by 1-in diameter), a base spike, Insulator W/T 'B', a peg bag and 12 "Antenna Rods 'A' pegs", two stayplates with four permanently attached guys, a reamer for cleaning mud out of the threads, an adapter to fit on the top and take up to 16-ft of aerial Rods 'F', an 8oz. ball-peen hammer and some spare chain link insulators. With this kit you can make an "up to 34-ft" vertical aerial, or two 12-ft masts to support a horizontal wire aerial. Later on the 14-ft whip antenna was supplied instead of a case of 'F' rods and it became a 32-ft aerial. Somewhat fragile and fiddly to erect, used with most radio trucks before and during WW2, replaced by the 27-ft telescopic mast (based on the Canadian 20-ft and 34-ft masts) in the Larkspur era. Hope this is some help, Chris.

It's all of that. Two things spring to mind: 1) unfeasibly large bathtub not included. 2) Some assembly required. :-D Hopefully you've got at least one of every piece required, and can find the instruction manual and parts catalog.

Do not, under any circumstances, use cutting/welding equipment on a wheel with a tyre attached. (Regardless of whether the tyre is leaky, deflated, valve removed or even with the bead not seated on the rim.) Death or serious injury may result. Brought to you by the elves who drink safe tea (because elfin safe tea is very important in these litigious times). Chris.

It was also used on some radio equipment, presumably to go into the signal vehicles - though it may have been a REME workshop "special", I'm not sure. There was a WS53 in that colour scheme in the R. Sigs museum back in the 1970s, and I have a WS19 Mk.II and RF Amplifier No.2 with the front panels in that shade. (I'm rebuilding a very rusty[1] supply unit and will almost certainly paint it that colour so I have a matching outfit.) Eau de Nil (literally "Water of the Nile") was quite a popular colour for interior decorating, though once the Establishment got their hands on it it's become "Institutional Green" with a psychological aroma of boiled cabbage attached to it. Chris. [1] Not to mention "comprehensively knackered".

"Chuff!", not "cough!", surely? Chris.

Ah yes: "War finish". Mine was like that, and apart from being fun to actually shoot (and horrify other people on the range with), it proved there was something radically wrong with the double-action mechanism on my .22 S&W, which had a diabolical trigger pull. (A comparative test by the gunsmith who declared there was nothing wrong with the Model 17 got an "Err, Um...." reaction followed by some replacement parts and a _vastly_ improved action.) All gone now, of course.:cry:

The chrome plated/indented case design looks suspiciously British (and the projectile part looks more like the round-nosed Mauser). So: BESA machine gun as used in Churchill tank?

There's an 800 battery at the back left hand side of this photograph: And a Drydex equivalent at bottom right here: http://www.oldshopstuff.com/Shop/tabid/1248/ItemID/11697/Listing/Old-Card-Sign---Drydex-Batteries/Default.aspx I am peeved, peeved, I tell you, that I cannot find a photograph of just the battery on the internet. Bah! Chris. (The flat battery with the unequal length brass contacts on the top is the 4.5 volt handlamp battery used in Lamp, Electric, No.4 (a copy of the German "Pertrix" lamp), and that battery is still readily available.)

Lantern, Electric, Traffic, No.2 is its proper name, I think. It has two plastic filters (red and green) that can be inserted in the front and retained by the wire clip. I assume they were for marking routes, cleared lanes through minefields, etc, as the appear to be intended to be nailed to the top of a post (as well as having the belt/strap clip), then switched on when required. Unfortunately they take the old "800" 3 volt cycle lamp battery (2 cells, contact springs on the top and the front) that went out of production in the 1970s when better cycle lighted were required and the new type took U2 (D cell)s in pairs rather than a single (more expensive) battery. It's annoying because a lot of things (Lamp, Electric No.1, the helmet torch, cycle lamps, and the bomb disposal "hands free" intercom) used the same battery.

Rather better than "Mamod", and there were a few different models produced for "spook" use. http://www.royalsignals.org.uk/photos/steam.htm The Duxford Radio Society have got one of these, I believe, and have actually fired it up (if you'll excuse the pun). See also: http://www.prestonservices.co.uk/generators.htm and: http://www.stationroadsteam.com/stock pages/2684/index.htm Chris.

They're obviously .303" cartridge loops, either for a rifle grenade or (as now seems more likely) tracer rounds. I vaguely remember being taught Fire Orders, one of which was "N rounds, range X hundred yards, watch this tracer" with the footnote that this would only apply once tracer rounds were on general issue to the infantry. I'd lay odds it's so that half a dozen tracer rounds could be carried, and kept separate from the rest of the ammunition carried. Chris. (Equipment of the WWII Tommy shows examples of Canadian and Indian made pouches with these loops (page 13) and reckons they were indeed for Ballastite or Tracer/Incendiary rounds. (I've just dug it out and looked).)

It looks like a standard "Utility Pouch" with added cartridge loops. Could they be for Ballastite cartridges for use with rifle grenades?

A big portable generator?

Cough! The "Pye Plugs" which were indeed invented by W.G.Pye just prior to WW2 as a means of quickly and reasonably securing co-axial cable to radio equipment are used on WW2 radio and radar equipment. They're purely a mechanical connection and have no "designed" electrical characteristics. These are the diecast "elbow" connectors seen on the 19 set and other kit. The connector in the photograph is a "Burndept" connector which was used on the "New Range" (Larkspur) kit. It is also a "mechanical fit only" with no defined electrical characteristics. They're retained by a threaded collar rather than a spring wire clip and are more robust as well as being somewhat water resistant. Clansman used BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman, after the fitting type and the names of the designers) for low power sets (e.g: UK/PRC 320) and "C" (Concelman designed) connectors for the higher power (UK/VRC 321). BNC and C-type (also N-type) have an electrical specification as well as a mechanical one, and are much better. (Caution should be employed when connecting these, as they are made in 50 ohm and 75 ohm variants - forcing a 50 ohm plug into a 75 ohm socket can cause permanent damage to both plug and socket as the central pin diameters are different. With military kit this tends not to be a problem, as all the connectors will be of the same type. The C connectors are used on modern kit because they are robust, reliable, waterproof and quick to connect/disconnect. A quick search on Google or similar will get you more detail than you could possibly wish for.:-D

I had one asking if I had a television. I replied "go scam someone else" and hung up (since the caller-id showed "International". I then regretted not having fun with them. A couple of days later I got another call, this time "Unavailable". Scammer: "Mr (attempt at pronouncing Polish name in (probably Nigerian) accent)?" Me: "Yes." Scammer: "Do you have a television?" Me: "No." Scammer (surprised): "You do not have a television?" Me: "Television is the work of Satan, we do not permit it in this house." (Call is instantly dropped and I get the "number unavailable" tone for some bizarre reason.) Gotcha!:-D At some point I'm going to connect the Racal SS 2931 JAMCAT to the phone, purely to see what the telepests make of trying to talk to a radio jammer on fast look-through mode.:-D:-D:-D

The Australian setup is identical to the British one. As far as I know, there are five basic types of supply unit for the WS19: 1) The "original" dynamotor supply for WS19 Mk.I and Mk.II (two 6-pin connectors, single (3 commutator) dynamotor 12 volts input, 250 and 500 volts output). 2) The Canadian Supply Unit No.2. This has a four commutator dynamotor (2 x 12V input, 265V and 540V output) which is switchable (internally) to suit 12V input (with the dynamotor LT inputs in parallel) or 24V (with them in series). It also contains a vibrator supply unit (operating on 12V only) that will run any two of the three WS19 components (A set, B set and InterCom amplifier) - if you want all three, you need the dynamotor running. There's a large rotary relay to switch from vibrator to dynamotor supply when transmitting. You can use the vibrator on 12V and 3-wire 24 volt systems only, and it's quieter and more efficient than the dynamotor, on 24V two wire it's dynamotor only. 3) American Supply Unit No.2. This was made by Eicor, and has two three-commutator dynamotors, some relay switching, and a vast amount of interference suppression hardware built in. Both dynamotors have twin 12V inputs, and the unit is switchable between 12 and 24 volt input from the front panel (with a protective cover to prevent accidents). 12 volt or 24 volt, two or three wire systems. 4) The British No.1 Mk.III supply (as seen earlier in the thread), flat front, two 12V input dynamotors, 12V or three wire 24 volt input only. 5) Canadian Supply Unit Rectifier No.1 is an AC mains unit in the same footprint as the other supplies, intended for training purposes (and probably static installations) 110 - 117 or 220 - 250 volts, 50 or 60 Hz input. Changing the operating voltage or the supply frequency requires moving wires between solder tags. Most of the internals are in pitch filled canisters, and it uses selenium rectifiers to provide the 12V supply and a bank of 6X5 valve rectifiers for the two HT supplies - the latter are working close to their limit and an insulation failure in the valves (heater/cathode short circuit) can easily destroy the main transformer. (Extreme care should be taken when buying one of these - you need to see it operating, on load, before agreeing to part with any money.)