It's been a while. My current task (not to mention the add-on task that has me at Fort Knox last week and next) so burns me out that I've been a sluggish poster of late.
So let's do some obscure militaria. A full picture of the item in question, not just a hint of it (that one I'm saving for later in the week...)
To give you a sense of scale, my hand covers the item from fingertip to wrist. The thing barely fits around my wrist (which means for most of you it would be very loose).
You may commence.
So let's do some obscure militaria. A full picture of the item in question, not just a hint of it (that one I'm saving for later in the week...)
To give you a sense of scale, my hand covers the item from fingertip to wrist. The thing barely fits around my wrist (which means for most of you it would be very loose).
You may commence.
So anyway, I'll take a stab at it. It's either a Mills belt for a chihuahua, or a loop for rifle grenades that fastens around the stock of the M1918. It might also be a loop that fastens around another pole to hold a cluster of smaller poles, like maybe marker flags, or some such nonsense.
Good choice for a whatsit, though....
* Leather straps are normally only used for people but the the Army they seem to be used for everything. I find them terribly insecure so I'm guessing what they hold doesn't matter too much if they fall off.
* It's coloured. Light blue. I have no idea why. Over here I'd prolly guess police or airforce for that but colours have codes and I'm missing my guess a shade manual. Most men can do light blue. They can't do peach or fuchsia. When they need peach and fuchsia in the colour codebook the military is doomed.
* It has small leather bits that encourage even separation of the thingies you put in the canvas straps.
* It holds 12 thingies. Is 12 a magic number?
* Guessing thingies are circular at holding point around 1/2 an inch in diameter.
* Guessing thingies are not regular shaped so they don;t slip out canvas.
* If i didn't know better I'd say you find this near werekitty's bed... to hold her collection of... thingies.
Gold bullion smuggling device for ankle use. The gold is melted and cast in the shape of grenade then painted to disguise it.
John, remember no more than a 1 gold bar per day or you maybe suspect.
Well,
To add to my earlier post, I am leaning towards saying that, whatever it is, it is French, and probably WWI or Franco Prussian period, but my first impression is WWI.
Could also be that period and for US Navy use. Hard to tell, but something about it, pergaps the Horizon Blue colour just says Grench to me.
I still say it has something to do with ammunition.
These were used by the antitank Morris troupes from 31 April 1940 to 1 May 1940, after which the entire concept of combat Morris troupes was discarded.
And since I know better... I can't explain exactly how to use this "thingy". The PG17C would attack for sure. :-)
That thing only has 12 loops.. you have 27 inches.
We all do baby!
Heath.
Arte et Marte
Cheers
We have standards?
Or maybe something for a conical tent (Sibley? or WW1 era?) at the top of the pole to spread the suporting ropes?
It's mot for a Sibley Tent. That one had a special ring that slipped over the stove pipe center pole. The lines were attached to the skirt edges of the ternt. Sibleys I know from.....
The bit about the Morris dancers has always perpleced me. I mean that, of all the areas where they would have felt right at home, Grance seemed to me the one place that would have counted./ Alas, it was not to be. I blame an ober-exposure to Gilbert and Sillican for their demose, along with the inevitable influx of German Narcissists.
One would have thought that the blending of Morris Dancers with Frencj Mimes would have played havoc with German sinsibilities..... sadly, it probably allied with a jungean strain and added a year or more to the war.
It is what it is. Sigh.......