Mark Ellis Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) If anyone has any manuals for the British military stoves and cookers, and would be kind enough to share them, please give me a shout. Thanks I have these - click the green text to view the file without download. This VAOS is like a parts and C.E.S. price list form No. 1 to No. 3 1939 Vocabulary of Army Ordnance Stores - Section J2 - Portable Cookers and Cooking Equipment. Rough guide to British Military stoves - a work in progress No. 1 Burner - basic instructions No 1 Burner.pdf The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Operation, Maintenance and Parts list manual - which I've retyped to make it easier to read is at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Operation and Maintenance No. 2 Portable stove service card No 2 Portable stove.pdf No. 2 and 3 Stoves - Instructions off No. 2 lid No 2 and 3 stoves.pdf No. 4 Mark 2 cooker trailer AESP 7360-J-100- No 4 Mark 2 cooker trailer 7360-J-100-S-W.pdf No. 5 Cookset Mk 5 AESP 7360-G-100- No 5 Cookset Mk5 document 7360-G-100-S-W.pdf No. 6 stove label No. 7 stove label No 12 Multiple fuel burner stove AESP 7310-B-100- No 12 Multi fuel stove 7310-B-100-S-W.pdf Edited September 30, 2023 by Mark Ellis New PDF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdx10 Posted September 15, 2023 Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) If I remember rightly there are a number of such manuals available on the Governments FOI ( Freedom of Information ) web site , in any case if you type in to Google ' FOI army stove ' you'll turn up as one of the first results someone elses FOI request for the Mk12 stove ( and Mk2 and Mk3 which you apparently have ) . Others may be available but i'll leave you to find them yourself. There are a whole load of free , and legitimate, resources out there which anyone can find by creative use of the various search engines. As an aside if at a later date you want manuals for US field stoves I always found a good source of manuals to be the internet archive which you can find via Google , I also think there used to be British manuals on there but they tended to be older rather than the more modern manuals you get from the FOI web site. As it's a quiet night I checked and you'll find at least ' TM 8-615 Gasoline Stoves and Burners ' from 1944 on there plus ' M 10-405 The Army Cook ' from 1942 on there which kind of seemed relevant but may not be ( it's info on field cooking ). Edited September 15, 2023 by rdx10 added extra information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 15, 2023 Author Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, rdx10 said: If I remember rightly there are a number of such manuals available on the Governments FOI ( Freedom of Information ) web site , in any case if you type in to Google ' FOI army stove ' you'll turn up as one of the first results someone elses FOI request for the Mk12 stove ( and Mk2 and Mk3 which you apparently have ) . Others may be available but i'll leave you to find them yourself. There are a whole load of free , and legitimate, resources out there which anyone can find by creative use of the various search engines. As an aside if at a later date you want manuals for US field stoves I always found a good source of manuals to be the internet archive which you can find via Google , I also think there used to be British manuals on there but they tended to be older rather than the more modern manuals you get from the FOI web site. As it's a quiet night I checked and you'll find at least ' TM 8-615 Gasoline Stoves and Burners ' from 1944 on there plus ' M 10-405 The Army Cook ' from 1942 on there which kind of seemed relevant but may not be ( it's info on field cooking ). @rdx10 I should mention - I only started this as I wondered what No. 8 to No. 11 are. But I'm now thinking the gap is perhaps to show the Modern compared to WW2 kit I found the No 4, 5 and 12 FOIs late last night. I can't unlock the No 12 until tomorrow morning, to extract the 532 section. The 2 and 3 in the head post is just the typed up instructions off the no 2 cooker. I'll have a look at archive and see if US had No 1, 2 and 3 instructions. I'm presuming that 8 to 11 don't actually exist. Surprised that I can't find 6 and 7 manuals so far, but the night is still young. Edited September 15, 2023 by Mark Ellis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 16, 2023 Author Share Posted September 16, 2023 Am I right in thinking that No. 7 is actually an Optimus 80 in a stronger box? No. 7 - Optimus 80 - 1971 What make is the No. 6? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 No.7 is a hybrid. From memory an Optimus 80 with a 123R burner but I cant quite recall. There are a few topics on it and lots of examples in the galleries over on CCS Forum Theres no makers names on my No.6s, I believe they were a fairly small batch produced for evaluation purposes, but look at the supplier's lists for NSN 7910-99-138-3660, to see if that produces any more info. One of my containers is stamped J&F P /I\ 85, that rings a bell as something like Jones & Fellowes who produced all kinds of deep-drawn steel and aluminium items/cookwear. Again a few topics were posted on CCS, including a post about one chap who had them with him on an expedition on trial. Alec. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 17, 2023 Author Share Posted September 17, 2023 57 minutes ago, Rangie said: No.7 is a hybrid. From memory an Optimus 80 with a 123R burner but I cant quite recall. There are a few topics on it and lots of examples in the galleries over on CCS Forum Theres no makers names on my No.6s, I believe they were a fairly small batch produced for evaluation purposes, but look at the supplier's lists for NSN 7910-99-138-3660, to see if that produces any more info. One of my containers is stamped J&F P /I\ 85, that rings a bell as something like Jones & Fellowes who produced all kinds of deep-drawn steel and aluminium items/cookwear. Again a few topics were posted on CCS, including a post about one chap who had them with him on an expedition on trial. Alec. I have spent a number of hours reading the CCS website. There seems to be a couple of versions of the No. 6. I'd been presuming that J&F P was a company called P, with the brothers or partners initials being J and F - but the P might be Produced as in Produced in 85 I guess. Even the Number 7 seems to have versions of it. But there's also a lot who have made stoves up to fit the Number 7 box - which makes it a minefield. I read the posts about the expedition with interest, with stoves being unsoldered - or becoming unsoldered in use. And I'm still intrigued as to why the gap between 7 and 12 And just found this about the company James Fellows. I'll follow up on that https://www.fellowsltd.co.uk/company1/history/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 17, 2023 Author Share Posted September 17, 2023 Every time that I search for a suppliers list from an NSN, Google shows me this. Never found the list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 18, 2023 Author Share Posted September 18, 2023 @wally dugan how do things like stoves get accepted into the military? Which body would they go through to get trialled and approved? Or would have gone through in the 80s and 90s? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 "Which body would they go through to get trialled and approved?" Defence Clothing & Textile Agency Bicester https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14581 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 18, 2023 Author Share Posted September 18, 2023 45 minutes ago, fv1609 said: "Which body would they go through to get trialled and approved?" Defence Clothing & Textile Agency Bicester https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14581 Many thanks, Clive @fv1609 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 Wondering if anyone has a better page 12 of the No. 1 burner manual, please. The copy I have was scanned badly, and the page is creased. Have issues with points 4 (a) and (b) Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Mark what is the designation of the document ie EMER, WO/Army Code No.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 22 minutes ago, fv1609 said: Mark what is the designation of the document ie EMER, WO/Army Code No.? Hi Clive, This doesn't have a front cover, and no document number on the pages either. It's for COOKERS, PORTABLE No. 1, BURNER UNIT S.B. TYPE "F" COOKERS, PORTABLE No. 2, Mk. 2 and No. 3, Mk. 3 I don't know what AESPs are listed for all the cookers. I have parts of 7360-J-100-XXX for the No. 4 Mk 2 7360-G-100-XXX for the No. 5 7310-B-100=XXX for the No. 12 And still no idea what No. 8 to 11 are, if they ever existed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 51 minutes ago, fv1609 said: Mark what is the designation of the document ie EMER, WO/Army Code No.? Its War Office Publication J2-JB 10912 (1962) 👍 Alec. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Mods for COOKERS, PORTABLE No. 2, Mk. 2 and No. 3, Mk. 3 are covered in EMER ENGINEERING & MISCELLANEOUS D 307 All items are NATO codified so if what you have is from an EMER it suggests it is quite old as items are coded as VAOS Section J. I have a 1946 edition of J1 so they have been around for a while. It is illustrated but strangely identifies the various items by name & gives no mention of the VAOS part number, which seems a bit silly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 "Its War Office Publication J2-JB 10912 (1962)" Alec J2-JB so that sounds like a VAOS Sections J2 JB (ie camp cooking etc) WO/Army Code No. 10912 is the UHB for Minelayers, mechanical towed equipment, Mk 1. So I am confused. Is there also a WO Registry Code on the front page top right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 14 minutes ago, Rangie said: Its War Office Publication J2-JB 10912 (1962) 👍 Alec. Alec, would you happen to have a better page 12 please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 14 minutes ago, fv1609 said: Mods for COOKERS, PORTABLE No. 2, Mk. 2 and No. 3, Mk. 3 are covered in EMER ENGINEERING & MISCELLANEOUS D 307 All items are NATO codified so if what you have is from an EMER it suggests it is quite old as items are coded as VAOS Section J. I have a 1946 edition of J1 so they have been around for a while. It is illustrated but strangely identifies the various items by name & gives no mention of the VAOS part number, which seems a bit silly. Sorry, Clive Do you have an earlier version of this document? If so, what are the instructions for Stripping, cleaning and re-assembly of the No. 1? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surveyor Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Not sure where i got this from, but its better than my other copy Portable_Cookers_Nos_1_2_and_3_Operation_and_Maintenance_1945.pdf · version 1.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 2 hours ago, Mark Ellis said: Alec, would you happen to have a better page 12 please? Mine looks to have the same source, I cleaned it up many years ago bu the same page tear is there. Easy to work out the missing wording though. Clive, the front page I have on the '62 document has been defaced, probably to remove the "Restricted" markings and the WO reference. At the bottom of the page is quoted 1962 and J2-JB 10912. The VAOS I have with the equipment list is Section J2 57/Vocabulary/382 dated June '39, this is the earliest version I have found in my research on the Hydra. It also lists items that were quite rapidly phased out so its a bit of a red-herring in terms of what was subsequently used in practice but its useful for the early stuff. The '45 57/General(A)/4196 is also a really useful one made by the DCS as it shows the later improvements and what was in-use at the end of the war. A number of these were improved again and the '62 document is really representative of what was in-use until they were phased out in the 80s. Alec. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surveyor Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 I have from 2 sources written the manual for inside a No1 Burner, only issue is the missing words as attached copy No 1 Instructions.docx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Regarding No.1, I have no written instructions. What I do have is 8 pages of illustrations with part numbers of the burner & the tools. This is in 1946 VAOS Sect J2 WO Code No.1569 26/Publications/5984 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 This copy that is going around, is it a copy of this https://www.greenmachinesurplus.com/portable-cookersnos12-and-3operation-maintenance-and-illustrated-parts-list-3182-p.asp which itself is a copy of what appears to be an earlier copy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 (edited) 40 minutes ago, fv1609 said: This copy that is going around, is it a copy of this https://www.greenmachinesurplus.com/portable-cookersnos12-and-3operation-maintenance-and-illustrated-parts-list-3182-p.asp which itself is a copy of what appears to be an earlier copy? I don't have a front cover, but I guess it is - but from a different suspect manual supplier. There is also a 1945 version. Edited September 21, 2023 by Mark Ellis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ellis Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, fv1609 said: Regarding No.1, I have no written instructions. What I do have is 8 pages of illustrations with part numbers of the burner & the tools. This is in 1946 VAOS Sect J2 WO Code No.1569 26/Publications/5984 This is the 1945 copy And the 1962 copy. You can probably tell from the quality as to who was selling this one Are the images in your small book better than this, please, Clive? Edited September 21, 2023 by Mark Ellis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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