Chris Suslowicz

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.)

Actually, that's the standard method for a 24 volt supply (tapped at 12V) used during WW2. A much better method is to use the Canadian Supply Unit No.2, as you can run the heaters and vibrator off the two halves of a tapped supply and the dynamotor off the 24 volts when transmitting, which effectively equalizes the load. On a two wire 24 volt system you have to run the dynamotor for everything, the set 12V being taken from the "tap" between the two 12V windings, and this trick was also used to supply 12V to the WS38AFV or WS88AFV in infantry support tanks. (The WS31AFV had both 12 and 24 volt power supplies built for it.) The British supply unit has a "floating" dynamotor supply input, and the on/off switch is two-pole for that very reason. (The WS19 set 12V input (and case) are grounded, which makes it necessary to use a floating battery supply in positive earth vehicles like early Land Rovers.)

Oh dear. Regular swapping of batteries to keep them equally charged? The B47 must have been an absolute b*gg*r to tune/operate in that position too, unless you had eyeballs in your fingertips (or a mirror on a stick)!:-(

Interesting. That's definitely a 12 volt system (the British twin dynamotor supply unit was only ever 12V input), and they've kept the WS19 power lead but fitted a harness adapter cable so that the "Larkspur" control harness can be fitted to support the B47 (replacing the WS19 'B' set which appears to be still fitted and not disabled).

No no no: VERY nice carrier! :-D Radio fit looks good, too. (I suspect the search for waterproof(?) covers for the control units is an ongoing project.) Chris.

Wot? Larkspur was the replacement of the WW2 wireless sets by the "New Range" initially developed for the RAC. Initial Ferret installation would be a standard Wireless Set No.19, with "B" set still in use (short aerial with "halo" protective guard). A more complicated install (Liaison?) would have the AFV version of either Wireless Set No.88 or 31 for communication with supporting infantry. Later on, the 'B' set would be disabled (and removed during rebuild). Later still, the WS19 would be replaced by the SR C12, which was exactly the same size and used the existing set mountings and wiring harness (with adapters to match the Plessey connectors to the WW2 6 and 12pt harness). The WS 19 variometer would be replaced by the SR C12 ATU, mounted on top of the set. Eventually, enough "Larkspur" kit became available and the SR C12 was replaced by the SR C42, which required wholesale replacement of the set mounting hardware and wiring harness. (As the army moved to VHF for short range mobile communications. You can make a fairly accurate guess at the radio fit from the aerial bases visible in photographs: "Convex" rubber base with 8 or 12-ft whip: WS19 or SR C12 "Tubular" base with protective ring and 18" rod: definitely WS19 with 'B' set fitted. "Ribbed convex" base with above: WS88AFV or WS31AFV with WS19 or SR C12 "Ribbed convex" base only: SR C42 Two of them: SR C42 and SR Bsomethingorother (45?, 47?) for Infantry liaison. The "Convex" base is the later WW2 "Aerial Base No.10 Mk.2" The "Tubular" base is Aerial Base No.9 (on Mounting No.1 with Protector) for the WS19 'B' set. The "Ribbed convex" base is the Larkspur VHF "Aerial Base No.28". Chris. (E&OE - I'm no expert on Larkspur or vehicles - just interested in the WW2 signals side of things.)

It's just a pre-paid postal label for official use. (The idea being that you can re-use the envelope by using the label to stick the flap down, then cut the label to remove the contents and re-use the envelope until it falls to bits.) Chris.

And they look so surprised when you hand them the exact amount before they've finished ringing it up.:shocked: (Not to mention comprehensively flummoxed when you check your change, tell them it's wrong, and proceed to hand them back the excess....):-D Mined ewe, one checkout operator in Aldi was less than pleased today: I gave him a pocketful of silver and he could only just shut the cash box afterwards - they must have topped up the float for the Christmas rush.:-D

I was going to say "armyradio.com", but it looks like they're out of stock: http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/customer/product.php?productid=1588&cat=86&page=1 At least it gives you an idea of what you're looking for... Chris.

A lot of that is WW2 era though: Toc is the phonetic alphabet for "T" which was introduced in 1904 (the phonetic alphabet had only seven letters up until that point: A, B, M, P, S, T and V). Wilco and Roger date from 1943, since that was when the phonetic alphabet changed R from Robert to Roger (up until that point acknowledgement of a voice message would have been "OK", but they introduced "Roger" as the telephony version if the telegraphist's "R" for "Received"). Signal procedure changed several times during WW2, initially to reduce security exposures, the phonetic alphabet was changed to improve comprehension, then again to have a common version with the Americans, and finally to use the German system of voice procedure (!) to make direction finding a lot harder - this was the start of the "single call-sign procedure" that is still in use today. Getting back to WW1, message carrying rockets were also used: they had a smoke "tracer" on the end of the stick, and a whistle on the head, to aid in tracking and recovery of the rocket and message. (They were also rather large, wearing helmets was a very good idea...) D3 cable had a red outer jacket, D5 cable was black. D5 was also much heavier and lower resistance, so would be used for longer lines, D3 being used for shorter runs. Chris.

Sorry for the delay, been busy with other stuff. Field Telephone/Telegraph Cables: Cable, Electric, D1 - Single, 22.5 lb/mile, (Tinned steel, insulating paper, impregnated ozokerite,cotton tape, braided black cotton, coated ozokerite) External diameter 0.09", 22.5 lb/mile, 140lb breaking strain, 7 strands of 34 SWG, 1064 ohms per mile, supplied in 0.5 mile coils. Cable, Electric, D3 - Single, 40 lb/mile, (Tinned steel, insulating paper, vulcanised rubber, braided red, coated ozokerite), external diameter 0.1" 40 lb/mile, 200 lb breaking strain, 12 strands of 33 SWG, 500 ohms per mile, 1 mile coils. Cable, Electric, D5 - Single, 80 lb/mile (Mk.II, Mk.III and Mk.IV in use, Mk.IV details given here) (5 tinned copper, 14 galvanized steel, vulcanised rubber, braided hemp, coated ozokerite), External diameter 0.145", 84 lb/mile, 390 lb breaking strain, 19 strands of 30 SWG, 63 ohms per mile, supplied on 2 mile drums weighing 200 lb. That lot is from Instruction in Army Telegraphy and Telephony, Volume II (Lines) 1909 (Reprinted with corrections November 1914). Notes on Electricity 1915 additionally has: Wire, Electric, Enamelled, No.25 - a single strand of 25 SWG steel wire, insulated by enamel coating, weight 7 lb/mile, resistance 1730 ohms per mile. Notes on Electricity 1938 expands the list, adding Cable, Electric, D2 ((various marks) "for temporary lines only, must not be buried or laid in mud or water" and notes that it is obsolescent)), D3 twisted, and D8 (single and twisted). Since there was little development between the wars, it is possible that D8 cable was introduced during WW1. If you want to have hours of reading fun, I'd suggest joining the WS19 Yahoo! group (with a non-free email address) and requesting documents from the archive - there is a lot on WW1 communications in there, despite the group name, and we're adding more stuff as we get our hands on it for scanning. For WW1, I'd suggest: Instruction in Army Telegraphy and Telephony, Volume I (Instruments) and Volume II (Lines), Notes on Electricity 1915 (or later), and various parts of Signal Training (particularly Part II - Methods of communication (excluding visual) employed in forward areas (1920) and Part IV Line Telegraphy and Telephony (Lines) 1922 - these were written after WW1 to gather all the knowledge together that they'd gained during the war). Best, Chris. (I'm sure I've seen D4, D6 and D7 explained somewhere - so it must be in one of the books - I just can't remember where!)

...and then either round off the bolt heads or weld a steel bar across pairs of bolts to prevent them being unscrewed? (Failing that, an anti-lift device of some kind - a switch and latching relay that operates an air raid siren on top of the workshop?) :-D Chris.

The second one is the rear end of an anti-tank gunsight (possibly for the 25 pounder), made by Ross Ltd (of binocular fame), I reckon. Further thought: it's the eyepiece (with the graticule adjustment knobs stripped out), and the erector lens. The missing part is the outer sleeve that has the objective lens fitted to it and a long key to locate the sight in its mounting on the gun. Best, Chris

I'll have a look when I get home, but the "Cable, Electric, D" series was all intended for field telephone/telegraph use. This lot is from memory, so may not be entirely accurate.... Initially they used enamelled copper wire (!) and earth return circuits, but this had crosstalk and eavesdropping problems, as well as the continual disappearance of its support posts - bits of wood left in trenches vanished for heating purposes. D1 and D2 were very early insulated telephone cables ("Cab Tyre Insulation" - i.e: vulcanised rubber instead of shellac varnish). D3 was a later version with a woven and varnished jacket, D5 and D8 were heavier cables for longer distances (more copper in the core to reduce electrical losses), etc. D3 and D8 stayed in service until after WW2, D9 was a PVC insulated replacement that was not very successful and was replaced by the D10 that you see today. The linen-coated cables (D3, D5 and D8) were available in a variety of colours to avoid confusion and also as single (e,g: D3) or pairs (e.g: D3 twisted). I'll see if I can find the list of what's what (It's either in Notes on Electricity or Signal Training Volume IV), and post that. Chris.

Um, where to start? 1888 New "Small Bore" rifle (.303" Lee Metford) introduced. National Rifle competition forced to move to Bisley as Wimbledon Common is too small - 303" has several times the range of the .577/450 cartridge. Fanatical Opponents like the new rifle immensely "It's wonderful. You can be hit several times and still carry on fighting", with the result they preferentially charge the British troops rather than the native levies as they are more likely to reach hand-to-hand distances. Experiments performed (exposed lead tip, slit jackets, etc) to improve effectiveness of the .303" round European powers (after some "iffy" research) raise outcry, 1899 Hague Convention bans the use of expanding ammunition. (Declaration III) WW1 is fought using small bore rifles. Rapid weapon development and lots of new ideas. WW2 begins with the weapons of WW1, plus portable automatic weapons (LMG and SMG). Postwar analysis shows that most engagements are fought at 300 yards or less. Much thought given to lighter and more portable weaponry - more ammunition can be carried. Russia develops the AK-47, designed by an infantryman. Cartridge is 7.62 x 39mm rather than 7.62 x 54mm Britain develops the EM2, designed by Enfield team including ex-Polish infantrymen. Cartridge is .280 Ross. (7mm) America decides on 7.62 x 51mm (.308") as that is a slightly shorter .30 Springfield and all their existing tooling still works. Economic pressure from America forces NATO to adopt 7.62 x 51mm despite the fact that it's excessively powerful for the intended role. UK cancels the EM2 order. Enfield design team (who did the EM2 design) get the job of making the FN FAL work with cordite and produce the SLR. America realise that the 7.62 x 51mm cartridge is too powerful and develop the M16. M16 gains an undeserved reputation for jamming due to the use of remanufactured propellant (ex-naval bag charges which contained chalk as a stabiliser for long term storage - the chalk ends up in the gas system and jams the weapon). This is hushed up and a "forward assist" button added to the M16 to allow the bolt to be rammed home if there is excessive fouling present. New production propellant assists in saving the day. 5.56mm not a very effective projectile. SS291 (I think) "improved" 5.56mm bullet approaches the performance of ,280 Ross. Enfield design team (none of whom appear to be ex-infantrymen) design the SA-80 from a grab-bag of other countries weapon features and make it superficially like the EM2. End users not happy, lots of failures due to poor design/build quality, the plastic furniture keeps falling off, the hammer chews its way through the hammer stop, causing either a failure to fire or the weapon going full-auto. Jungle trials "The problem was not so much keeping it clean, as preventing it from rusting away before your very eyes.", etc. After being in service for several years, most of the problems are apparently corrected (rumor has it by designers from Heckler & Koch, who Royal Ordnance (British Aerospace) own at this point). Sigh. This lot brought to you because I used to read "Handgunner" magazine, own a copy of EM-2 Concept & Design, and got interested in the subject despite being a crap shot (competitively) with a rifle. I'm much better with a pistol, so they banned them. :argh: (I also got a tour of the Enfield Pattern Room (before BAE asset stripped RO and sold the site for housing, not considering the toxic hazards of somewhere that had been used for weapon design/production for 170 years).) Chris.

Ah, the 1966 manual drawing shows something more like the 6 volt 170 AH steel cased battery fitted, not the 85 AH units. Chris.

I call B*llsh*t! It's British (or Canadian/Australian), and is the top end of "Stand, Lamp or Heliograph, A, Mk.III" I'm not sure that it's worth restoring, since the thread is chewed up and it's missing the cap & chain (plus the sling fittings and metal points for the legs), but if you fancy some woodworking I can measure/photograph a complete one. The thread on top will fit the standard Heliograph Mark V (and earlier models), the Lamp, Signalling, Daylight (Short Range or Long Range, but not the post-WW2 Lightweight model that fits on a bayonet), or earlier signalling lamps like the Begbie or the Portable Lime Light. Best, Chris.

Heh. That reminds me of some badly-stored .38 Mk.II revolver ammunition I got, back in the days when pistol shooting was still allowed in .uk - the primers had gone bad, and firing it went approximately: Click (pause) phut (pause) Pop! (candle flame appears at muzzle) (long pause) Clank! of bullet hitting backstop. Cue howls of laughter from everyone on firing point, "Bet you can't do that again", etc. Okay: Click! ...... Phut! ...... Pop! ............................................................. Clank! :rofl::rofl::rofl: What are you handloading it with, sawdust? Factory. What!?!?!? (We later dismantled a round and fired the primer in my trusty Enfield Mk.2** - it went "Click! Fizzzzzz....") I wish we'd filmed it, the initial "phut" was from the cylinder/barrel gap, the flame at the muzzle (yellow and smoky) lasted about a second, from the cordite (and it was cordite too, none of your later nitrocellulose rubbish) that was burning in the barrel, and you could watch the 200 grain bullet trundling towards the target at about 30 mph. That box of cartridges was dubbed "thirty eight cigarette lighter" and reserved for special celebrations.