Military Geometry Set

[MHillyard]

Got 2 of these at a show this year. One is full and the other has a couple of compasses in. Each piece is military marked. I assume they are post-war but i can't say i've seen a set like this before. I am sure someone here can enlighten me on the subject.

 

Thanks

[Degsy]

I sold one of these to a dealer a couple of years ago which my father brought back from his WW2 RAF service. Used by the navigator in aircraft.

[fv1609]

This particular set is of Army origin.

 

W10 is the Section of the Vocabulary of Army Ordnance Stores that includes magnetic compasses, drawing & optical instruments, watches, survey, hydrographic survey & underwater sound equipment.

 

Unfortunately I don't have a VOAS but I have a 1986 COSA but that of course is composed of NSNs.

 

Is it by any chance 12" x 6"?

[Tony B]

The parrale ruler is used to transfer a course to a naval chart. A picture of it would help, but remeber the RASC did run marine craft.

[MHillyard]

It is approximately 12" by 7" when open and 5" by 7" when folded up.

 

Below are pictures of the two sides of the ruler (the best i could get for now without too much glare). Also a photo of a mark only visible on the mostly empty set.

 

RAF would make sense as the person i bought them off of did national serive in the RAF and that may have been where he got them from ( also got a tin of Air Ministry floor polish from him ).

 

 

[Chris Suslowicz]

The protractor has a VC stores code (as well as being in section W), and all the scales are for use with maps. I suspect it's a set for map making, artillery survey, or similar. (I have a Flash Spotting field telephone and some survey flags with VB (I think) stores codes on them.)

 

Chris.

[RAFMT]

Definitely Army stores code, not RAF.

What you have is, as other have said, for field sketching and map plotting.

[Tony B]

Damm good general navigation set!

[Degsy]

The set I sold had Air Ministry marks.

[RAFMT]

The Air Ministry/RAF used the same set but the rectangular protractor above is stamped with an Army stores code.

Having said that, i've seen a few sets for sale that have clearly been cobbled together with an assortment of bits and have some WD stamped items and some with AM stores codes.

[fv1609]

This particular set is of Army origin.

 

W10 is the Section of the Vocabulary of Army Ordnance Stores that includes magnetic compasses, drawing & optical instruments, watches, survey, hydrographic survey & underwater sound equipment.

 

Unfortunately I don't have a VOAS but I have a 1986 COSA but that of course is composed of NSNs.

 

Had a rummage! I see I do actually have a Section W10, it was first published in 1937, reprinted in 1948. Although it has has items as early as VC0010 it does extend beyond VC1380 but does not actually include it.

 

Then I realised although this VAOS is based on the 1937 publication it was revised in 1956. So one can conclude it was wartime & by 1956 was obsolete as far as an item of stores, though no doubt continued to be used.