Whilst the most common War Department marked tools that turn up are spanners, for Air Ministry marked tools, measuring devices seem to be some of the easier items to find. A few weeks back I was lucky enough to find a pair of Air Ministry marked callipers in a tool box and for the princely sum of £2 they were mine:
Callipers are mainly used for measuring the diameter of cylinders, although have other uses in light engineering work. This pair have a crown and AM marking on one of the legs, together with a maker’s name of Buck and Hickman Ltd:
Interestingly they also bear a /|\ mark and an inspector’s code 60 on the reverse:
Using callipers correctly requires a little practice and a 1930s engineering manual gives this advice:
Measuring with Callipers
Callipers, either spring or firm joint types, are convenient tools for measuring a number of jobs which are not required to be extremely accurate. Firm joint callipers have two legs fastened together with a rivet or bolt of a special design. To give a smooth joint thin fibre-washers are interposed between the legs, and when purchasing callipers this point should be looked for.
The legs of inside callipers are curved outward at the extremities to facilitate measuring small holes, whilst outside calliper legs have a large curve inward to increase their capacity for large work.
Firm joint callipers are adjusted approximately by the hands and then set to the “feel” of the work by tapping them on a metal surface. It is common practice when opening callipers by this means to tap the top of the joint. It is better, if possible, to tap the inside of the legs, as repeated blows, though light, tend to burr the edges of the joint. Care should be taken when using callipers to hold them square across the job, or an incorrect reading will be obtained. The interference between the work and the instrument should be very slight as distortion of the legs occurs if force is used. The application of callipers for good results calls for a certain amount of practice.
The book also illustrates another use for this instrument:
This gauge is different from previous examples we have covered due to its small size and four mounting holes in either corner of the square face. This suggests that this particular ammeter is taken from an aircraft rather than being for some ground based purpose.
I have tried looking up this code and come across several eBay auctions describing this as being a ‘rare early Spitfire instrument’. Unfortunately I cannot find any corroborating evidence for this description yet and sellers are notorious for trying to attach militaria to an interesting unit, person vehicle in a bid to boost sales. A list of Air Ministry stores codes however suggests that it is actually for ground lighting and miscellaneous equipment:
Whilst this instrument was never actually used in a spitfire or indeed any other aircraft, it was a lucky find for £2 in a large box of vintage plugs and so was a great little addition to the collection and the sort of little find I love having.
The rear of this badge had the typical half-moon fastener that allowed the badge to be secured in a button hole:
The work of the organisation was invaluable and in 1940 it was taken under the control of the government being renamed the Air Training Corps in which form it continues to the present day.
In the foreground can be seen a soldier keeping guard of the aircraft:
Behind can be seen a pair of aircraft:
These have been identified by a friend as being most likely BE2 aircraft. This was a single engined, two man crewed training aircraft introduced in 1912 and used throughout the First World War. It was initially used as a front-line reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber; modified as a single-seater it proved effective as a night fighter, destroying several German airships.
The white ensign flying beneath shows this airship belongs to the RNAS rather than the RFC. Britain never used airships to the same extent as Germany and its Zepplins, however they saw sterling service patrolling the channel and on anti-submarine patrols.
The details of the sender in the corner show which camp he was stationed in and his name, Edwin Edmunds:
Whilst the stamp in the top corner indicates that the card was sent through the German postal system in November 1944:
The rear of the postcard has the prisoners message:
This reads:
This large device was designed to be mounted on an electrical panel and has a series of screw holes around its rim to allow it to be attached. The dial itself is /|\ marked with a date of 1958:
The scale allows a voltage of between 0V and 20V to be measured in 1/2V increments. The rear of the voltmeter has a pair of brass contacts to allow the voltmeter to be wired into a circuit:
Also obvious is a large paper label attached to one of the contacts. This label dates to when the voltmeter was last tested to see if it worked. This is an RAF label, indicating that this voltmeter was from their stores, rather than the army:
The date on the rear indicates it was tested in September 1960:
The fact that this label survives on the voltmeter shows that it has never been used and is in fact what is often referred to as ‘new old stock’. Vintage military electrical gear is available to the collector very cheaply and seem to hold little interest to most militaria collectors- I on the other hand rather like these instruments as there is something very attractive and ‘retro’ about these old, chunky dials and switches that I find appealing…
The brush is typical of all boot brushes, with a wooden back and bristles glued in small clumps into holes drilled into one side:
The bristles are made of hair, like nearly all brushes manufactured before the widespread use of nylon, and this is stamped into the wood along one side of the brush:
That this is an RAF brush is clearly indicated by an AM and crown mark indicating the Air Ministry and the date of 1941:
‘Kent’ is the name of the manufacturer and indicates that this brush was produced by GB Kent & Sons Ltd. This firm is still trading today and their website gives some history:
Airmen were issued a pair of boot brushes on enlistment, just like their counterparts in the other services and were then responsible for the upkeep of their own footwear, polish being bought out of their own pay at the NAAFI.