Plotting Board
 

I got this plotting board off ebay and was wondering what all the built in pouches held. The full length one on the small flap must be for a ruler, and the two shorter ones beside it would be for dividers. The pencil holders are obvious but any help on the rest of them?
There's a full size flap on the right half that would have protected extra maps. On the face of the map board there are depressions with large headed screws for attaching maps.
I have a tripod but it has a smaller bolt.

There is an artillery plotting board (like this Canadian one in the pic) but in surveying there is also a 'plane table' for plotting locations of features to create a topographical map, which might be what you have.

I recently picked up the tripod for these items if anyone wants to see it.

Maybe it's just called a map board. It's the right size to fit in the holding brackets behind the radio operator's seat in a 1A2 wireless body. Rob, lets see a picture of your tripod.

I came across a bunch of map-related stuff but don't know what would be relevant. It's shown here with the map board and tripod.
That little square black thing is a neat US morse code training device. There's also a proportional divider in the mail.

Here's a plane table from the manual of map reading 1939. They talk like these are the tolls you need when map reading etc. What's the thing that I didn't label?

A rubber for when you make a mistake? :D

Could be that. I bet it's level bubble for the table.

The alidade has a bubble level.

Less about map reading as topographic surveying. The surveyor draws everything he sees and plots it on the large paper sheet. It is rudimentary compared to modern survey equipment, but it is what they had and used for many decades.

Ah, but one has to level the table first before any of the ancillary equipment (each with it's own bubble) works.

I was looking for stuff for the map board and came up with this. It's WW2 issue type stuff and has a Capt MacIsaac name on it. I Googled the name and found him in Victoria. It seems he joined the RCHA in 1947 so it's just post war. He was a forward observation officer. We had quite an interesting chat. He was surprised that it still existed and more surprised that I found his phone number.

At long last, here is a shot of the stand I have that holds the map board.

Rob, thank you for posting the pictures of the plotting board tripod. If you or anybody else has one has one to sell or trade if am interested! Have plenty of trinkets to trade that might catch your fancy. ... Brian

That tripod is the same as mine except for that top round plate.

The top of this stand pivots, which allows the plotting board to angle somewhat.

A google search on the data off the plate on the tripod links the tripod to the no9 director, but I can't be sure of that. I only have a director no7, and it uses a much larger base on the tripod.

Next time I am out in the shop with the camera, I'll assemble the board on the stand and snap a shot.

Here's my tripod. I'm not sure what it was used for.
My 11 set makes a good background for the pictures. LOL
The lettering says

STAND INST. No17 MKII
RADIO LTD NZ
1942
NEW ZEALAND NO 459

The third pic shows my collection of map stuff.

Is there any data on your tripod? On mine it was on one of the metal bands about 8" from the top of the leg.

The size of the threads almost look like it would fit the heliograph, although my heliograph has a different (earlier?) design of a tripod,.

dited to add: nevermind, I see your 4th photo now. So yours is a no17mk2, and mine is a no17A mk2.

I thought that piece mounted to the tripod might be part of a heliograph. I can't imagine what else it might be for. The thread on the mounting bolt is quite a bit smaller than on the map board.

In fact, I have the head of a heliograph sitting on the desk here now (has been for a number of wweks/months now which shudl indicate what a mess my desk is) and iot does not look like your part has any relation to it.

I suspect the military may have kept the bases of their instruments limited to 3 or so basic patterns so you did not have to make a new tripod variant for each item.

Here's one like mine for mounting a theodolite.
I also found mention of one being used by Scott on his Antarctic mission.
Like you say, they would have used them for multiple applications.