1 gal. OIL can, brown with white print and I bet there's brown 2 gal. PETROL cans.

And a 2 gal. can marked KEROSENE, black print on white if I recall.

Naptha is different from Petrol. It is (was) non leaded gas (white spirits). It would be used for stoves, lamps etc.

2 gallon POW container
 

Guys,

I was generously gifted this 2 gallon container, dated 1943 at the recent FMVA Odessa meet. Painted grey with white lettering, in great condition.

Peter


Attachment 93651

Attachment 93652

Thanks Peter , this adds to our knowledge base greatly . Grey with white lettering , just like a water can . Awesome . Thanks .

A interesting 1 gallon Water can I picked up a while back.

1 Gallon Water Can
 

That is a very interesting can. It may not have been for potable water like the 2 Gallon cans.

1 Gal water can
 

I concur with Ed. Very interesting Dave !

Keep them coming.

The knowledge base is expanding.

2 gallon POW containers
 

Robert,

I'm new to the business of kitting out a WW 11 vehicle, so some of my questions may seem quite basic.

Is there any documentation that states how these containers should be painted/marked?

The dark grey for water containers ? Large white W painted on the two sides or "Water" printed, if so 1" tall letters?

I have acquired several 2 gallon containers (British and Canadian) which are embossed PETROLEUM SPIRIT HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE. I'm assuming this was the norm for containers meant for transporting gas. Did Canada use the term Gas or Petrol ? How were these containers painted ? The same colour as the vehicle?

My stowage diagrams for the Lynx do not list the 5 gallon jerrycan, but most period pictures of Lynxes in service show that the toops in the field certainly used them.

Thanks, Peter

Attachment 93726

Attachment 93727

I have only seen the embossed "petroleum spirits...." on the very early (1940) Canadian cans. I have never seen it on a later Canadian can.

I have to wonder if perhaps a white water can was for potable water, and a grey one for "grey", or non-potable water. However I suspect there more than likely was no difference.

water and POL cans
 

Very nice Peter.

First time I see '' flammable spirits on a Canadian military C Broad arrowed can . Seen it on numerous occasions on British cans.

We all agree that these are not insignificant details found on Carriers and other fighting vehicles.

They are an interesting part of collecting for our vehicles.

I know of no pubs or official documentation, just contemporary photographic evidence. Anyone know any different ?

Again thank you all for your contributions, keep 'em coming .

Rob , all white water cans I have seen all bear earlier date marks than the Grey cans. I think the white was too conspicuous to be used on the battlefield and was changed somewhere in 44 to Gray.. but still not Green as to differentiate them from POL . Humble suggestion also.

Since the 'FLIMSY' has been mentioned during this thread, here is one I finally managed to acquire. Dated 1942.

I read somewhere that the average loss of fuel due to damage in transit was 1% per 10 miles. I still don't know how the tear off cap was attached or sealed? Ron

Flimsy
 

Thank you Ron .

Canadians might of used these in Italy as they were supplied by the British from forward bases in Africa. Most of the rolling stock the Canadians had brought with them to Italy from England had been sunk to the bottom of the Mediterranean so possibly Flimsies were used . Probably not NWE as the 20 Gal Jerrycan became prevalent by 1944.

Interesting addition nonetheless.

You'd need some muscles to lift that one :) Ron

Yes Ron , the 20 Litre / 5 Gal Jerry is heavy and cumbersome but they give you ''legs '' , autonomy . That is especially important when you stretch your lines of communication / supply.

A tank ( Sherman, Stuart ) , Half track or armoured car demand a lot of petrol... Carriers not much more than a CMP truck but still. So 20 Litre / 5 Gal jerries were a definite improvement. And they were re-usable contrary to the ''Flimsy''.

ANY MORE 1 and 2 Gal cans we haven't seen boys ? Thanks Ron , i corrected the typo.

You missed my point Robert! I think you meant 20 litres. (5 Gallons) :doh: Ron

Containers
 

This thread has wandered into discussing the British wartime policy of water supply and that of petroleum, oil and lubricants which directed how the various containers were distributed and used. For fuel you had various bulk and medium size containers, so in the case of the rectangular 4 gallon tin (flimsy), this was considered a non-returnable bulk storage item. On the other hand the 4½ gallon Jerrican was considered at the time as a medium sized returnable item. I have reference to non-returnable fuel containers being used in the UK prior to Normandy and direction that they were not to be used as water containers afterwards.

Wartime terminology refers to the returnable containers, the items most likely found on vehicles, as British - Jerricans, US - Amerricans, and British - 2 Gallon Cans.

Attachment 93764

Also 4½ gallons of fuel weighs 27lbs or 12kg. The same amount of water is 32lbs or 14.5kg.

Water cans
 

Here is a general idea on the subject. I managed to build a shelf and display my cans.

Bob, next time you're passing through the K1A postal code, let me know. I have a can for your collection.

Thanks Terry. End of Feb i’ll be over at The old Col By st building for a week . Will give a shout . Cheers . Bob

2 gallon water cans
 

To add to this, I picked up a water can (albeit a British one) a few weeks ago, stamped 'VALOR 3 40' (March 1940?) on the underneath. After removing the multitude of paint layers, I find it is black, with 'WATER' stencilled in white. I find to trace that the can was ever painted white. :teach: Of course, the paint could have been stripped before repainting.

From a point of history, here's a photo (July '44, in Normandy) of the white cans in action behind a Bedford MWC. Were the white cans retained for use away from the front lines? And note the black jerrycans too. And still on the subject of water cans, how would the troops in the field know if the water in the cans was safe to drink? I've never seen a 2 gallon can marked 'drinking water'. :confused

Just my thoughts..

Owen.

All good questions my friend !

Info on water and petrol cans from XIIMD war diary
 

Some information about water cans from the XIIMD War Diary but this info should also apply for other units.


Marco

Nice Marco , very nice information ! Thank-you

One of my friends sent me a picture of an original red 2 Gal can .

Could you post it here please Michael R ? Thanks.

POW can ID
 

Picked this can up the other day, never paid attention until I got it beside another one. The common one on the left has rounded corners and the usual markings, the mystery one has sharp corners and no markings that I can find.Any info would be appreciated. Thanks K Armitage

Not unlike many things, when the original items become hard to find, a certain asian country will begin to make copies to fill the demand.

While not specifically a military POL can, the area of petrol companies who also used these types of cans is an active and lucrative area of collecting, and so you can now buy "NEW" cans to fill your needs.

I wonder if Kirk's find is somebody's attempt to fill a need for a hard to find can?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GOLDEN-F...4AAOSwcw1ejnLK

Not a single scratch or rust stain on the lily white 'PETROL'? after 75 years? Hmmmmm….

Rest of the can is chipped paint ,worn look, some dents and small rust hole starting in the bottom. The can is slightly shorter than an original, also a shorter neck and the handle is straight not angled. Believe it came out of an antique store in ontario.
Kirk

Oh how I wish I could buy these repro at $10 a pop from China. I think I'm up to 19 I need to fill my bins and would happily do it with lookalike dummies.

Kirk, is the cap thread size the same? Does the filler look grafted on?

... have a little faith ...