When being towed along behind a truck, an artillery piece inevitably gets covered in dust, mud and water. This is not of great concern because it is fairly easy to clean the exterior of the gun, however the barrel needs to be as clean as possible to prevent changes to the weapon’s accuracy when it is fired and so prevention is better than cure. To help prevent detritus from entering the barrel when the weapon is not in use, canvas barrel covers have long been used as a simple way of protecting the bore of the weapon. Today we are looking at one such example from a 6 pounder anti-tank gun. Made of green canvas, it is sized to fit comfortably over the end of the barrel: 

The cover is a simple bag with a strap and buckle at the mouth to allow it to be tightened for a good fit: 

The end of the cover is faintly stamped with the letters ‘T.P. Ltd’, the name of the manufacturer: 

The other markings are even harder to read, but indicate the cover is for the 6 pounder and includes a stores code and a date in the 1950s: 

In this wartime scene a 6 pounder is being towed in the desert by a jeep and the muzzle cover can just be made out on the end of the barrel, the loose strap being the easiest way of identifying it here: