question Army Brick, Army Marking?

[fesm_ndt]

Some guys found this brick by an old airfield in Malaysia and has an arrow on it so it's assumed it's an Army brick

 

I wonder when the arrow, or what we called a crowsfoot mark strted and who uses it etc?

 

Or could this be a convict marking?

 

I know UK and Australia still use the arrow or crowsfoot on just about everything. I can't recall it on American stuff and it predates NATO

 

So in summary anyone see a brick like this, and or know the arrow crowsfoot history?

 

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[Marmite!!]

Doesn't look like a Broad Arrow mark

I wonder when the arrow, or what we called a crowsfoot mark strted and who uses it etc?

 

So in summary anyone see a brick like this, and or know the arrow crowsfoot history?

 

 

 

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?23583-Broad-arrow

 

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?9651-WD-sign

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_arrow

 

 

And....

 

The Admiralty Arrow, or Broad Arrow was used to identify material belonging to the British Crown. The Broad Arrow was also referred to as 'crows feet'. The mark was used on all manner of government property, and later its use was extended throughout the British Commonwealth. For instance marks on Canadian Government property frequently used the arrow surrounded by the letter "C" and was in use at least until the 1950's. No item was too small to escape the broad arrow mark. The photograph below shows a brass screw recovered from Esquimalt harbour. Being a servant of the crown myself, there are days this particular artifact takes on a special significance.

The origin and earliest use of the broad arrow symbol are unknown. It could be related to the actual arrow, longbows and bowmen being a key part of the English army in the Middle ages. Broad Arrow Tower, built by Henry III of England between 1238 and 1272, in the Tower of London is said to be named after the royal property mark. Invention of the mark is frequently attributed to Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, who served as Master-General of the Ordnance from 1693 to 1702, since the pheon (broad arrow) appears in the arms of his family, but it is known to have been in use earlier than this. There is also an unsubstantiated claim that a document dated 1330, issued by Richard de la Pole, the King's Butler, for the purchase of wine shows that in order to make sure that ownership could be readily established as King's property, he marked each item with an arrow from his own Coat of Arms.

Ordnance Survey Marker with WD, in Bermuda

Early use of the broad arrow can be found on some objects recovered from the Tudor ship Mary Rose, which sank in 1545. Bronze sheaves for rigging blocks, spoked wheels for gun carriages, bowls and wooden tankards were found to bear this mark.

Similar to hallmarks, it is currently a criminal offence to reproduce the broad arrow without authority. The Embezzlement of Public Stores Act 1698 in clause 41 makes it illegal to use the "broad arrow / King's mark" on any goods not for His Majesty's government's use.

 

The broad arrow frequently appeared on military boxes and equipment such as canteens, bayonets and rifles, as well as the British prison uniform from the 1870s, and even earlier, that of transportees in British penal colonies such as Australia. The broad arrow marks were also used by Commonwealth countries on their ordnance (as noted above).

In both the United States and Australia the broad arrow mark was used on trees reserved for the Royal Navy.

Glass bottles were marked with the arrow and/or an anchor on a seal as early as the late 1700's. The initials of the ruling monarch may also be included on the bottle or seal, such as VR for Queen Victoria; GR for King George, and WR for William IV. Later these marks were incorporated with the raised markings on the bottle, usually with one or two letters such as N one presumes for Navy and WD which stands for War Department.

The War Department acceptance mark with the WD and arrow replaced the Board of Ordnance which was created in 1544 by Henry the VIII