31770

[31770]

Hi Guys, I’m new to this forum and just looking for help in identifying a data plate recently found in a field whilst Metal Detecting.  It looks to be of military origin to me .. but I could be totally wrong,  Regards, Dave.

[Richard Farrant]

The plate is from a trailer made by Taskers of Andover and from the contract number it would be military and dated during WW2

[31770]

Hi Richard, Many thanks for your prompt response, very interesting..

Regards, Dave.

[ruxy]

Nice find - second best to a urn full of coins , you may be lucky and somebody is able to show a photograph of the trailer unit.  Keep seeking - you may with a bit of discrimination find a few hundred Churchill tank plates    If you do locate such,  then Andy Brown is your man and he resides in the archaeology board forum.

[31770]

Thanks, Yes, it’s an unusual find.. I suppose it could be off a trailer bought by a farmer after the military had finished with it . I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an Urn full of coins 👍 Regards, Dave.

 

[ruxy]

On 3/9/2023 at 3:26 PM, 31770 said:

Thanks, Yes, it’s an unusual find.. I suppose it could be off a trailer bought by a farmer after the military had finished with it . I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an Urn full of coins 👍 Regards, Dave.

 

It's most strange  -  12 days later and nobody on the Forum has been able to turn out a photograph.  WW2  decontamination trailer on a single axle  ?     Decontamination of what  ?

Was it somethng like a pair of single PortaLoo  with shower spray heads ,  or a basic Jeep style trailer or larger  Ben Hur  ??   possibly just with pumps , hoses & nozzel  ,  possibly a  A.F.S.  pump trailer for wash-down of large area.

Of course there always was a threat (lots of unknowns)  of a German V2 rocket part loaded with radioactive material  or Sarin/Tabun chemical agents -  were these trailers in preparation of such an occurance.   Possibly you have a plate for WW2  top-secret hardware that has never surfaced  ?

[john1950]

Perhaps they were to be used to decontaminate in case of gas use, as radio active fallout was not really known about during WW2. Or maybe against parasite's. 

[ruxy]

The possibility radioactve substances was well known to British , German , Polish + other allies well before WW2  ,  the problem for the Germans & some allies was that each side believed the opposition was further advanced to a explosive weapon .  Radio-active substance were available from mainly research labs. 

There was a time when 'they' believed it would take a tonne of enriched uranium / plutonium - they were pondering how to prevent a 'neutral' ship entering a British port with such a bomb , then a single Oz @ B'ham University   and a few London & Cambridge prof.  British / + middle-Euro Jews determined a aerial bomb was possible with anly abt 1 kg. of nuclear fuel.

It is possible that a two wheel trailer was used for small scale parasites such as bed-bugs , on bedding / uniforms etc.   AFAIK  the Germans & British used larger scale decontamination using superheated steam & chemicals during WW2  ,  during WW1  I believe it was only a  steam low-pressure generator  used, (not wet).

[31770]

Thanks to you all for your interesting and varied replies… you learn something everyday !

[John F]

4 hours ago, ruxy said:

It is possible that a two wheel trailer was used for small scale parasites such as bed-bugs , on bedding / uniforms etc.   AFAIK  the Germans & British used larger scale decontamination using superheated steam & chemicals during WW2  ,  during WW1  I believe it was only a  steam low-pressure generator  used, (not wet).

DDT was used as an insecticide by the allies from around mid-1942, and it was released as an agricultural pesticide after the war... maybe a local farmer bought a war surplus decontamination trailer to spray his crops?

[31770]

I wondered if that was the case when I found it, Many Thanks.

[ruxy]

27 minutes ago, John F said:

DDT was used as an insecticide by the allies from around mid-1942, and it was released as an agricultural pesticide after the war... maybe a local farmer bought a war surplus decontamination trailer to spray his crops?

I.G. Farben  - had slightly different spray  ,  ISTR the word  FLIT  (as Flit Gun)  was one of their trade names.

[John F]

3 minutes ago, ruxy said:

I.G. Farben  - had slightly different spray  ,  ISTR the word  FLIT  (as Flit Gun)  was one of their trade names.

The Internet suggests that FLIT was an American brand name from the 1920s...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLIT

[MatchFuzee]

1 hour ago, John F said:

The Internet suggests that FLIT was an American brand name from the 1920s...

Later "Flit gun" became a generic name for handpumped incecticide dispensers.

[John F]

2 minutes ago, MatchFuzee said:

Later "Flit gun" became a generic name for handpumped incecticide dispensers.

Yep, I remember it still being used as a generic term in the 70s and 80s at least.

[ruxy]

3 hours ago, MatchFuzee said:

Later "Flit gun" became a generic name for handpumped incecticide dispensers.

I have a book about Rockefeller & Standard Oil  -  he had to split it up  ,  one part became Standard Oil of New Jersey ,  this company had links with  I.G.  Farben well before WW2  .  SONJ  got into trouble trading with Germany when they should have stopped  ,  years since I read it  IIRC  they gave technology about production of synthetic petrol  , shipped tanker loads of oil to Spain (supposedly for Spain but much was sent rail tanker to Germany) ,  still shared technology of Buna  (synthetic rubber) production.  It's hard to say where the original FLIT was developed & later enhanced - because of the chemical interests between  Exxon  / Esso  + I.G.  Farben were in reality never broken.

If you read the book   LAST STOP AUSCHWITZ  :  My story of survival within the camp.  By  Eddy de Wind  (  a Nederlander Jew)  -  he does state that they used the product  FLIT  !

[ruxy]

https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/preis/1942/04/so-nazis2.htm

[John F]

All of this and much more is covered in Charles Higham's book "Trading With The Enemy", first published in 1983.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/682306

 

[ruxy]

2 hours ago, John F said:

All of this and much more is covered in Charles Higham's book "Trading With The Enemy", first published in 1983.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/682306

 

I have it  ,  also a similar one which I think better - author(s) are a brother & sister , need to find the book as can't think of title just now.

[John F]

Sounds interesting, please let me know the title if you find the book!

[ruxy]

1 hour ago, John F said:

Sounds interesting, please let me know the title if you find the book!

That took a bit of finding , actually a stroke of luck , only got through abt. 1/4 of stacks of books .  I have quite an extensive library and have a stack of specially prepared timber done for me at a furniture factory , after many years I have still to find the time to assemble it into large book-cases for the 'play' room.

The book is   Who Financed Hitler  :  The Secret Funding of  Hitler's Rise to Power    1919 - 1933.  It's by  James and Suzanne Pool.

-------------------

I came across another book  -  IIRC a bit of heavy reading but not a weighty tome.

US  Wartime Aid to Britain    1940-1946   by Alan  P.  Dobson

----------

And  another   -   I think I purchased this about early last year ,  I found it a good book - I think this is the book where it tells a few truths regarding petrol & aviation 100 octane - the supply situation during WW2.

 

Britains War Machine  :  Weapons, Resources and Experts in the Second World War   -  it's bt  David Edgerton.

 

 

 

[John F]

1 minute ago, ruxy said:

That took a bit of finding , actually a stroke of luck , only got through abt. 1/4 of stacks of books .  I have quite an extensive library and have a stack of specially prepared timber done for me at a furniture factory , after many years I have still to find the time to assemble it into large book-cases for the 'play' room.

The book is   Who Financed Hitler  :  The Secret Funding of  Hitler's Rise to Power    1919 - 1933.  It's by  James and Suzanne Pool.

-------------------

I came across another book  -  IIRC a bit of heavy reading but not a weighty tome.

US  Wartime Aid to Britain    1940-1946   by Alan  P.  Dobson

----------

And  another   -   I think I purchased this about early last year ,  I found it a good book - I think this is the book where it tells a few truths regarding petrol & aviation 100 octane - the supply situation during WW2.

 

Britains War Machine  :  Weapons, Resources and Experts in the Second World War   -  it's bt  David Edgerton.

 

 

 

Thanks ruxy, I'll add those to my reading list.

31770, sorry for derailing your thread!

 

[ruxy]

1 minute ago, John F said:

Thanks ruxy, I'll add those to my reading list.

31770, sorry for derailing your thread!

 

I have to keep a good  reference library - mainly about WW2 , that's because I have been known to write chapters for others under a nom-de-plume  ,  another life I prefer to keep private.  Mainly  originating from a little 'field' research - so it's original source material - that helps bulk-out the work of others.

[John F]

Just now, ruxy said:

I have to keep a good  reference library - mainly about WW2 , that's because I have been known to write chapters for others under a nom-de-plume  ,  another life I prefer to keep private.  Mainly  originating from a little 'field' research - so it's original source material - that helps bulk-out the work of others.

I can understand that... I used to live in France & Germany & did plenty of my own WW2 'field research' when I was over there :-)

[ruxy]

7 hours ago, John F said:

Thanks ruxy, I'll add those to my reading list.

31770, sorry for derailing your thread!

 

btw  The Pool book  ,  my copy must be very early because the author(s) are both James Pool and his sister Suzanne,  it's probably a first Edn.  First printing..  There have been a few Editions by different publishers / printers. Some with a slightly different title& they all seem to be by just James Pool.   However I checked and there is in fact a much later paperback edition - states completely revised and updated.    I have been had a few times like this , often this means two extra pages at the rear and a new Preface & Introduction , but I think I will obtain a copy - you never know , need more research as there is probably the same some USA printed and others UK printed or anywhere.  You have to watch this compare No. of pages , size of pages  , some could be book club hardback editions (smaller & smaller font size) etc.