Poles for signal wire?

[rob love]

So I spent Saturday, along with Derk Derin, out at our favorite surplus yard where we bought many things we never even knew we needed. I made the climb to the ceiling of the store and retrieved these poles, which I suspected were cleaning rods. Turns out the two with brushes are, and they will join my 2" mortar downstairs. They are nicely marked with CCM so are Cdn made, which is great. The brushes unscrew easy enough, but I am going to have to use some tools to try and un-thread the two halves of the handles, as they seem to be stuck.



The other poles are what I do not recognize. I did find a marking on one where it was made in Ottawa in 1940. But what are they? They join together for quite a length, so I am thinking perhaps for stringing signal wire up into the trees?

[Grant Bowker]

Just theories about the long pole with loop-
stringing cable as you suggest,

opening/closing high voltage switches on power lines (though most modern ones seem to be a peg on the end of the pole fitting into a loop on the blade or fuse).
Based on the long pole, I think the load/force is expected vertical (either overhead or down a hole) rather than at the end of a horizontal reach.

[David Dunlop]

Rob.

I have seen photos somewhere here on MLU of these poles being used laying communication lines along a road. Guys walking with the poles and a truck with a large cable reel in the back with other crew working the reel. Working somewhere in Holland perhaps.

David

[Jon Skagfeld]

The cable laying poles with the "C" opening at the top are/were known as crooksticks.





V V V

[rob love]

Thanks for the answers.

I am going to attach some photos of some of the other stuff we grabbed out there today. I had already put a bunch of it out in the shed, but thought maybe some photos might get some answers as to what some of it is. Besides, not everyone has access to surplus stores like these anymore, so you can live vicariously through what we found. Derk (who once claimed, on this very site, to be cured of the miliaria OCD) was out a bit earlier than I was and already had a small mountain of stuff before I got there. He passed on some items to me, and I passed an occasional item to him in retribution. Having two addicts in the same place does not make any measure of self control.

Anyway, here are the first batch of photos. I'll go into some detail of some of the curiosities in the next post, but for now I'll ask about the cleaning rod set shown on the fender. They are US made, but I am not sure what gun they are for. I have two sets of these.....just need the gun now.

[rob love]

In this group of photos are:
1: Some kind of goofy plier/adjustable wrench combination tool with a US marking. I can just imagine turning a nut with the adjustable wrench part and having the jaws of the plier close in on the meat of the thumb muscle.

2: Next photo is an iler/brush combination. You fill the handle with oil, and it leaks into the brush when you are cleaning metal. I saw the red/blue artillery marking on the one, so I grabbed them. The handle of one mentions "fountain oiler".

3:2 sizes of Bren track adjusters. I have to sandblast these and see what the part numbers are. I can certainly understand why they went to the smaller one. Derk found these, along with a few more and was nice enough to pass me a pair.

4: Some vintage 1940s US military goggles. They are made by foster grant, and the FG are also on the cases. They are one ugle little goggle. I grabbed 4 boxes of them, since the building they are in is well into it's collapse and demise.

5:

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

The cable laying poles with the "C" opening at the top are/were known as crooksticks.
V V V

Yes, that's the standard "jointed crookstick" for laying field cable.

Y1/YA.1514 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2 - three 3 ft lengths and one 2 ft 8 in length, without straps.

Y1/YA.1516 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Intermediate Length
Y1/YA.1515 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Lower Length
Y1/YA.1517 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Top Length
Y1/YA.1518 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Strap - 2 ft 4 in by 3/4 in with sliding loop.

There are others:

Y1/YA.1524 STICK, Crook, 14-ft (in two sections) for use with poled cable.

Y1/YA.1519 STICK, Crook, Long (7-ft 6-in)

Y1/YA.1522 STICK, Crook, Short, dismounted services (3-ft 1.1/2-in) for dismounted work.

The 14-ft one is for use with the 18-ft (two piece) telegraph pole for overhead lines (poled cable), the 'Long' for laying cable from a vehicle - to position it in the ditch, out of the way, and the 'short' for the various backpack cable layers and the drum barrow when laying or reeling-in.

There are also a couple of "PIKE, Pole" items, one 7-ft 6.1/2-in, the other 12-ft 6.1/2-in - used for putting "skyhooks" into trees to make overhead crossings, etc.

The stores codes are sequential (in alphabetical order) because the items pre-dated the numbering system (possibly by as much as a century, in some cases), and the numbers were allotted using the then current V.A.O.S. in the late 1930s (possibly as late as 1940).



Chris.

[rob love]

Chris: As always, you have the kind of answer that leaves nothing to question.
I had a look at the other sections, and found C/l\ on most, along with what appears to be "kitewards 1937" on one.



I guess they will join the signals shelves out in the shed.