Canadian snow related equipment post WW2

[Ed Storey]

Both photographs date from 1971.

[Robin Craig]

So, the snow knife and saw kit arrived this past week.

Wow, how big and heavy it is. The blades are easily 1/8" of an inch thick. The handle on the saw is huge and for an obvious reason, you might be wearing arctic mittens.

The knife is a meaty weapon reminding me of the machette in the Ferret kit. The file to sharpen them both has a gorgeous synthetic handle.

I find it interesting that there are no makers marks on the sheath / scabbard material at all and the file appears too long for the pocket for the press stud to close.

Both the knife and the saw teeth are worthy of a being used for field surgery in an improvised situation. Lethal.

The blades have a stamped letter and number that I didnt capture very well.

[rob love]

I am not certain your file would have been the correct one back in the day. Prior to the mid 90s, you ordered just about everything from the depot, where the model and makers were failry tightly controlled to match the NSN. Around then, the military devolved the purchasing of most common items to the bases and units, so you could end up with any supplier, (and often the cheapest imaginable) and often the wrong items. After all, a file is a file is a file, isn't it?


I recall one time ordering the NSN for the wooden case that the taps and dies came in. Instead I got a die to cut the acme thread onto wood. It did come in handy to repair broken broomsticks for the shop brooms.


I have many many more horror stories about the wrong items coming in, but will save them for another thread someday in the future.

[Ed Storey]

This is a copy of a catalogue photograph from my archives and it shows the Snow Equipment Set circa 1970. Note that in this case the file was a three-sided type.

Snow Equipment - Snow Set.jpg

[Ed Storey]

To illustrate just how the toboggan load can vary according to time period, environmental concerns and equipment held in a unit QM, I have attached this reference photograph taken in 2010.

IMG_2962 copy.jpg

[rob love]

While the black jerry can of water may well do in Southern Ontario, it would serve very little purpose here in Shilo. After a day or two, it would only be good to lay in front of that GPMG mount for it's bullet stopping capabilities.



The tin cans in the first set of photos were for bringing in snow to melt. Although time consuming, it is usually fairly abundant if you are using the toboggan. Ice is better, but if said ice is locked within a jerry can, then it is just dead weight.



The collapsible blue bag toilets are definitely a product of the environmentalists. It seemed like most of the rations were in tomatoe sauce, and what goes in must come out. There was nothing like getting onto one of those just in hte nick of time, only to have one side of it start sinking into the snow.



As to the fire extinguisher, it was always my understanding that when those tents went up, it was with extreme speed. I'm not sure there would have been ample time to use the extinguisher.



You can see the local purchase stuff has entered the system. Both axes are different (I think a fiberglass handle on the one), the snow saw is commercial, and even the small pack looks like it is an aftermarket surplus look-a-like.



What is in the green bag to the front. Would it be a pot-set?

[James P]

Jerry can for water - ditch
Fire extinguisher - ditch
Potty chair - ditch
Glass globe on lantern - ditch

Pack more naptha cans, then pack MORE naptha.

The bag would ( I am guessing and working from experiance(s) all the little things like TP, generators, slip joint pliers, flat tip screw driver, space blankets, gun tape/para cord, candles, etc

[Robin Craig]

So a comment here. I have been privvy to watching troops in the field conduct winter indoctrination training and I have to say it is a miracle that no one ever got killed or seriously maimed with the axe. Honest to goodness a good bow saw did so much more work cutting material for snow defences and improvised shelters it just wasn't funny and with much less expenditure of effort. Axes bouncing off frozen springy wood and glancing blow beside feet made me wince.

I know with the Militia toboggans the bow saw was a unit local purchase and so it doesn't surprise me to see it omitted here.

No pictures so far of the cardboard ice boxes and the inserts to replace the jerry cans of water.

And Rob, I agree, tents go up faster than troops can deploy an extinguisher. A snow shovel wielded by a fit and accurate member is faster and more effective.