martynsmith Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Hi all Does anyone have an idea when the 'Modern' British Army 20Ltr Water Can was introduced? Also - when did the short lived green version start being made and for how long? Any pertinent info on the Can's would be appreciated...maker, proper nomenclature etc? Thanks in advance. Smudge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonBrown Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I found one in the Basingstoke Canal, along with 1000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, sometime around 1980. So it will predate then. Sorry its not more precise but hope it helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgevince Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I have a couple black ones dated 1971 and 1972... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 There are certainly photos of green plastic jerricans in use in Aden which means they pre-date 1968. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 1965, I have a black & a green one so dated still in use. I have seen a puce green one of slightly different design dated 1964 but the NCB is 66 (Australia) not 99 (UK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted March 15, 2023 Author Share Posted March 15, 2023 Thanks everybody; some really useful info there. I have two...one with blue paint and one with red. I know it relates to the Coy/Sqdn...but what are the other colours and which Coy/Sqdn do they relate to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Did you mean to post a photo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted March 15, 2023 Author Share Posted March 15, 2023 42 minutes ago, fv1609 said: Did you mean to post a photo? No...just wondered what Coy's each colour relates to. I recall blue, yellow and red...not sure about the other. And what Company's they relate to...I.E. Red is A Coy etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 I was just wondering about the manner & extent of the painting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted March 15, 2023 Author Share Posted March 15, 2023 55 minutes ago, fv1609 said: I was just wondering about the manner & extent of the painting? Hi Clive I have two cans, but only have a pic of one for now... first photo has a blue panel and 180 in white paint on the top (Tasha is my daughters horse...I use the water cans for that) My other has more markings incl a vehicle number...will add pics tomorrow. The second and third pic I found online some time ago...it's got a blue panel under the handle and a square patch on the side. I remember when i was a CQMS, we painted a coloured panel on pretty much everything...colour depending on the Company. If it could be carried away, it was painted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 On 3/15/2023 at 12:52 PM, fv1609 said: I was just wondering about the manner & extent of the painting? Hi Clive Here's the other one; it looks like it was painted yellow then over-painted in red. It also has a vehicle registration number on the side and partially on the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzH Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 I know in our hanger we had 40+ vehicles shared across 3 troops, all had complete CES (Complete Equipment Schedules) that listed every item you had for each vehicle. Common across all vehicles were the GS items like water cans, shovels, picks etc as well as breakdown kit depending on vehicle types, Bedfords had different jacks to Landrovers, but all Bedford jacks were the same When it came to CES checks, you'd find items going missing and as they all looked the same, you couldn't tell who hack knicked what. Between the 3 troops, we had a colour each, I think yellow, blue and white as that what was readily available and each troop would paint an thier colour on their kit, this went from vehicle jack to adjustable spanners, screwdriver, picks, shovels etc.... so that at least another troop couldn't knick your kit... however, some in the troop may not be so trustworthy, so we'd go the extra step of adding your VRN The colours were just what was available to may vary Squadron to Squadron, so I don't think you can tie blue or red to a specific troop or squadron unless you there... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Surely, water jerricans, shovels and picks were G1098 items rather than part of a vehicle CES? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 I have probably had 3 dozen ERN LAKE 1 ton jacks through my hands , the standard kit for Land Rovers , I don't think I have ever seen one where I have been unable to find the allocated vehicle VRM branded on the jack body with 3/8" die stamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzH Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 21 hours ago, 10FM68 said: Surely, water jerricans, shovels and picks were G1098 items rather than part of a vehicle CES? Your are correct, its 20 years since I left and those acronyms have faded a bit..! G1098 items were still painted and marked up for your vehicle.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad dan eccles Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 I have 2 green ones dated 1965, one has the year and makers mark inside the same disc space and is by PBM and the other has the year in large numbers in an oval indentation like the NSN is and then in the circular one has the makers mark PP inside a circle formed of triangles like on some of the pre-osprey 58 pattern water bottles. As far as I'm aware the green jerry cans dropped out of production in line with the green water bottles in 1965 and went to purely black ones from that point onwards and I imagine would've come into being in 1962 like the water bottles. The current official description for them is Can, Water, Military. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 2:33 PM, martynsmith said: Hi Clive Here's the other one; it looks like it was painted yellow then over-painted in red. It also has a vehicle registration number on the side and partially on the top. This can has an ERN for a Saxon armoured patrol which served most of its service in NI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted May 2, 2023 Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 On 4/30/2023 at 10:51 PM, Richard Farrant said: This can has an ERN for a Saxon armoured patrol which served most of its service in NI. Thanks Richard, that's great info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted May 2, 2023 Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 On 4/30/2023 at 10:35 PM, mad dan eccles said: I have 2 green ones dated 1965, one has the year and makers mark inside the same disc space and is by PBM and the other has the year in large numbers in an oval indentation like the NSN is and then in the circular one has the makers mark PP inside a circle formed of triangles like on some of the pre-osprey 58 pattern water bottles. As far as I'm aware the green jerry cans dropped out of production in line with the green water bottles in 1965 and went to purely black ones from that point onwards and I imagine would've come into being in 1962 like the water bottles. The current official description for them is Can, Water, Military. Cheers mate, that's great info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted May 4, 2023 Author Share Posted May 4, 2023 This may help re the use of paint to mark Water cans and other kit... My local regiment, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, uses the following colours to identify kit at Company level. Not sure if it's standard across all companies/squadrons... A Company red B Company green C Company black D Company yellow HQ Company blue This is a page from the Regimental handbook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynsmith Posted May 4, 2023 Author Share Posted May 4, 2023 I found this which appears to show green water cans in use in Aden, dated April 1966 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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