Chris Suslowicz

Can you track down the manufacturer and just buy a bulk pack of the barbs? The only other question: was military barbed wire different to the civilian type? I suspect it may have had longer barbs and they had probably been spaced more closely together. Chris.

(reads thread, notes comments about 'terminal' 'protection' and 'not British'.) It's difficult to judge the scale of the thing, but.... The 'horn' for a naval contact mine?

Would it be unfair of me to point out "detonator agent chemical" in the photo title and suggest the bursting charge for a chemical (mustard gas) landmine?

Yes: the 1260 Watt charging set consists of engine, generator and fuel tank in a tubular steel frame (can be carried small distances by inserting poles into the frame and having porter at each end). The switchboard controls the current in the generator field winding so that the output voltage can be adjusted, and you then have four individual charging circuits, each with its own rheostat and ammeter to set the charging current. Batteries (all of the same storage capacity) can be connected in series (up to a maximum of 24 volts) and hooked up to each charging circuit. You then set the rheostat to maximum resistance (minimum current), switch the output on for that circuit, and adjust the rheostat for the required charging current. The charging process does require regular monitoring, to keep an eye on the state of charge, battery temperature, etc. so you would have an operator in attendance while it was in use. The set and switchboard allowed all of the common lead-acid batteries to be recharged in the field, these being: 6V 16Ah (small wooden-cased battery used with wavemeters, etc.). 6V 85Ah (used in pairs with the WS19 (etc). 6V 100/125 Ah and 170Ah for larger radio installations. (All done in fours.) 12V 14Ah and 22Ah (WS 22, 62, etc. for portable (including manpacked) use. 12V 75Ah (WS22, 62 and 19). (Done in pairs.) plus many others (individual 2V 16Ah cells and combinations like the 10V 16Ah battery for the long range signalling lamp) could also be recharged using this setup - I'm not sure about the small 2V battery for the Signal Office lamp, as that was very low capacity and may have required special arrangements. Chris.

It's what it says on the tin: Switchboard, Charging, 1260 Watt, No.1 :-D It's the control unit used with several of the 1260 watt charging sets, for centralised battery charging in the field. (Since you don't want to give your position away by the noise of petrol generators near the front line, plus they're more stuff to carry when you move, a lot of WW2 sets had freshly charged batteries delivered along with rations, mail and ammunition. The discharged batteries were collected at the same time and returned to a central point (with several of these units and generators) for recharging (and testing). The generator will deliver up to 30 volts, so you can charge up to 24 volts worth of batteries in each 'string'. (I think the rheostat on the far left controls the generator field winding, and hence the delivered voltage.) The other rheostats allow the charging current to be individually controlled for each string of batteries. (All the batteries in a string MUST be the same capacity (in amp hours) or some will get overcharged and damaged.) The generator sets will not work without the switchboard connected, as the field circuit will be incomplete - this causes people to assume they're faulty when there's actually nothing wrong with them. The cut-outs (one of which has its cover missing) stop the charging when the current drops to a preset value (I think). Now you just need a suitable charging set and the cable to connect the switchboard to it. :-D Chris. (Somewhere I have a couple of spare cut-outs if you need to replace the missing cover - It could take a long time to find, though.):-(

Well... none of the bits match up. :-D The headphones are from an early mine detector, the microphone (and cabling) is from Microphone & Headgear Assembly No.10, and the jack plug is post 1960s civilian. My guess is that (in no particular order) the original 5-way "snatch plug" was replaced by a 1/4" stereo jack plug, possibly with the microphone switched (there aren't enough contacts on the plug for headphones, microphones and transmit/receive switching) for amateur radio use, then at some point one of the headphone inserts failed, so the headset was replaced with the "mine detector" version it now has. Definitely a bit of a 'bitzer'. :-D Chris.

Looks like a bodge to me! The headphones are similar to the ones used on mine detectors, and the microphone is the late WW2 No.13 from the WS19/22/62 "Mic & Headgear No.10" by the look of things. Definitely not enough contacts on the jack plug to make it usable! Chris.

Pink was used for pages that contained material classified above RESTRICTED, I believe. (Presumably so it could be pulled out and destroyed first in an emergency.) Chris.

I think you'll find that * is actually two broad arrows stamped 'point to point' indicating that it's been struck off charge and is no longer government property (i.e. sold off as surplus, but goodness knows who'd be buying SMGs - possibly the Police, or for export, I suppose). If it was going to be to be a 'modification indicator' it'd be a single '*' stamp and placed directly after the 'Mk.1'. (At least, that's how it was done with my old Webley revolvers (Sob.) for the 'disposal' stamp, and Signals kit for the modification indicators (before they introduced the 'Mod plate' (stuck or riveted on)) used to this day. It also appears to be stamped "DP", i.e. Drill Purpose, but that did not mean 'deactivated', merely that it was specifically reserved for training purposes, and although it might be fully functional, was not intended to be fired. (Could be worn out, inaccurate, faulty, or simply assembled from salvaged parts for instructional purposes, though originally they were 'proper' production weapons set aside (and carefully marked with white painted stripes, etc.) to be used for instruction in stripping/reassembly, etc. to avoid wear and tear on the actual 'war stocks'.) (Someone in my Rifle Club recalled that the Boy Scouts were issued with Martini action rifles (no ammunition) to guard the BSA works (This was probably during WW1, since uncles were mentioned and he was an RAF Radar tech during WW2.), and everyone assumed they were harmless until they discovered that dropping a stair-rod down the barrel and pulling the trigger caused the rod to pop out about 6 inches - so the firing pins, etc. were still in place and they might well have been functional if ammunition had been available. Considering the 'stair rod' part of the tale, I wonder if they were .577 or .577/450?) :wow: Chris.

Mandrill? Only if you're monkeying around. :-D Chris.

The telephones look in quite good condition, the exchange (Switchboard, Universal Call, 6-Line) is missing the battery compartment (I think), and most of the ancillaries out of the accessory tin. I can find you an original (but scruffy) manual for the telephones, don't think I have a spare for the switchboard. Standard batteries for most line equipment were made up from 1.5 volt 'X' os 'S' cells (square with two 4BA terminals on the top). The telephones require 3 volts to run the microphone, the switchboard 4.5 volts tapped at 3 (I think) for the buzzer and lamps plus the microphone. Missing parts from the exchange: 3 x red and 3 x black patch cords (2-wire with 1/4" jack plug on the end) in use you alternated red and black to make the connections easier to distinguish in a hurry. 6 cord weights (with pulleys), possibly a buzzer for the 'night alarm', I can't remember offhand. The exchange can be screwed to the edge of a table, so the the front flap is off the edge, then the patch cords can be inserted through the holes in the front plate (plugs upwards) and the pulley weights hooked onto the cords. Plug your headset in (or a handset), and you're all set (assuming batteries and telephone lines are connected). :-D "Universal Call" means it will work with both buzzer call (Telephone Set 'D') and magneto call (Telephone Sets F, J, L, etc.) pnones and switchboards. Telephone Set 'D' and the Switchboard UC (6 or 10 line) were the standard 'front line' telephone equipment during WW2. The Telephone Set 'F' and Switchboard F&F were usually for higher formations - office telephones! There is some confusion over what F&F actually stood for, it's not explained in the manual, and some people claim it's "Field & Fortress", others that it's "Field & Fixed" - I favour the latter meaning. :-D Hope this is useful, or at least interesting. Chris.

I'd guess that it's the early WW2 version (well, part of the complete unit, anyway), and the Recorder, SR, No.1 Mk.I but that is only a guess. Development came to a stop after WW1 due to budget cuts and only really restarted in the 1930s. I'll just point you at the late (and sadly missed) Alister Mitchell's paper on Artillery Location: http://www.royalsignals.org.uk/articles/SRS/srs.html Chris.

Chart recorder for sound ranging equipment? Chris.

I thought it looked like a Niphan plug. Can we have a look at the pins (and a measurement of the overall diameter, please? (I may have a matching socket in the bits box if you're very lucky - there are about 4 sizes to choose from.) Chris.

From here it looks like a small Niphan connector, so possibly made of brass/bronze. Chris.

...and I'm wrong! Installation instructions for Truck & Ground station: (20) Connect the Sender-Receiver ground strap located on the lower right hand side to the terminal on the right hand side of Carriers No. 3. (21) Fasten one end of Leads Earth No.2 to the ground post located on the vehicle wall and the other end to the spring clip on the right hand side of the Carriers No. 3. So it looks as though they either just slip it into the terminal (which is 'iffy') or cut a slot in the lug so that it can be slid all the way home in the terminal for a good connection. I'm sure I've seen ground straps that have been slotted in this fashion. Must have a rummage through the 'bits' pile. (It also means that my carrier has been 'bodged' because the parts list does not show any cable from the spring clip to the terminal - it relies on the clip and terminal being screwed to the same piece of steel angle. I shall correct this.) Chris.

You will find that the spring loaded terminals have a VERY strong spring.:-D Having given this some thought since yesterday, I reckon that the lug on the earthing strap from the WS19 goes between the spring-loaded terminal and the steel plate, and the terminal is fitted after the set is installed. This does mean you have to remove the terminal to release the earth connection before you can withdraw the set from its case in order to change a valve, but that is true of all the other carriers where it's firmly bolted to either the carrier or the metal shelf the carrier is fixed to. (Carrier No.1 has the set braid bolted to the carrier and a second braid on the same bolt going from the carrier to the underside of the shock mount 'foot' where it's bolted to the vehicle shelf. I think there are instructions to scrape the paint off in the contact area in order to get a good connection.) I need to put a set on my rather scruffy carrier and see how it all fits together. Chris.

The strips with 4 holes are to make sure that the shock mount bolts don't spread under load (due to wear in the holes in the table top, etc), which would cause the mount rubber to separate from the steel part. There should be two strips per mount, one above the table, the other below, to guarantee a rigid fixing. On the RHS of the carrier there's a piece of steel angle with round bars welded to it. The croc clip is fixed to the top surface of the angle at the rear of the carrier, and according to the EMER, there's a spring terminal fixed to the side of the angle, about 1/3rd of the way from the front (facing inwards, towards the set). The earth lead is supposed to fix to this... ...but on my carrier someone has dismantled the spring terminal and fitted a large lug (and cable) to the terminal before reassembling it, and the cable connects to the croc clip! This will make it very difficult to fit an earth lead or the counterpoise to that terminal, and I suspect it's wrong. The most likely attachment for the set earth cable is to either assemble it under the spring terminal (which would make it impossible to install/remove the set), or more likely to cut a slot in the lug on the braid so that it fits onto the terminal in the usual way and can be unclipped when you need to remove the set from its case.I may have some 'cut' lugs like that somewhere, I can't remember offhand. Anyway, the croc clip is for earthing the set to the braid inside a vehicle, and the spring terminal is for attaching Leads, Earth, No.2 (as an extension cable) and/or Leads, Counterpoise when the set is used outside the vehicle as a ground station. I hope that makes some sort of sense. :-D Chris. Just re-read your post: the "insulator on the right hand metalwork" is the spring-loaded earth terminal. :-D

Er, which carrier (and also, which mountings) have you got for it? Carrier No.1 (later renumbered 21) is all-metal construction and is for permanent installation in AFVs (mostly). It is fixed to a bench surface, shelf, or a pair of stand-off brackets by four shock mounts (the bridge type), and the set and supply unit are earthed using braid straps bolted to the feet of the shock mounts. Metal strips may be fitted to prevent the 'feet' of the shock mounts from spreading, which would cause the rubber mounting to fail. Carrier No.3 (later renumbered 23) is a demountable wooden board carrier with metal fittings to take set, supply unit and a control unit of the No.3 series (3, 3A or 3B, usually). It has no shock mounts fitted as these are contained in the table clamps. The right-hand end of the carrier has an earth terminal fitted with a large spring clip that attaches to a length of earth braid in a vehicle or to an earth lead, counterpoise, or earth pin when used on the ground. Carrier No.25 is of all steel construction and uses a single long strap to secure both set and supply unit to the carrier. The set and supply unit are earthed to the carrier by the braid straps and there is a spring terminal on the front face of the carrier to connect an earth lead to. A plate assembly on top of the set takes the variometer, control unit and an aerial base No.10 if required. Mountings, Carrier, No.1 (two required) are metal clamps with built-in shock mounts. These bolt to the table top (via suitable metal strips to stop the mount feet spreading), and the carrier slots into those at the rear and a tilting clip secures the carrier at the front. This will take the No.3, 23 or 25 carrier. Mounting, Carrier is a later version using 'Barry mounts' as on more recent equipment instead of the fragile 'bridge' type. it has a fixed claw at the rear and a movable one at the front operated by a slotted screw. The Barry mounts secure to the table with four bolts each, and to the mounting with a single central bolt. I'll see if I can dig out some illustrations. Chris.

It won't be Flash Spotting because it's dated 1988 and Flash Spotting was long gone by then. :-D Scaled in 'Mils", and with filters and "Day" lamps... alignment unit for one of the tank gunsights? It's black, and AC mains powered so presumably workshops kit. Chris.

Thankfully, it's not a medical item! "Syringe, Oil" and air ministry kit. (Obviously the post-WW2 ones were chromed to keep them nice and shiny.) http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1944-dron-wal-air-ministry-1c-2433-288453147 Shows the complete kit. Chris.

I think that's actually stated in the Act, rather than just a guideline. It's actually a sensible restriction since blank cartridges are filled with fine grained black powder (or modern equivalent), and a large cartridge contains a lot of it - certainly enough to present an explosion hazard in a fire or if misused. Chris.

Yup! Also the incomplete heliograph, but that was worth it for the tripod (one of the L.A.M. metal ones). Cables are mostly harness interconnect (12-way M-F), I think, plus a bunch of the small 2-pin power ones (again M-F), in a variety of lengths. A little scruffy but they look OK. I'm sure I can use a few of them. :-D Chris.

Avast Behind! Chris. (Back from Stoneleigh with Far Too Many[TM] Larkspur cables.)

That explains why it's in mint condition. :-D It is off the Detector, Mine, No.3[Polish] by the way: it's marked 'WRIST' at one end, so it's a sort of padded arm-guard for the (very long and counterbalanced) search coil - possibly to it easier to keep at the desired height above ground when sweeping for mines. (I found a picture of one on eBay[1] and it included that bit of webbing.) Chris. [1] In poor condition, probably with parts missing, and decidedly Not Cheap. Piggybank said "NO!" rather loudly.