Wire Reel

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Matthew P

Chris,

I can't speak to the Commonwealth Signals equipment but I know a little from being around several friends who do US Signal Corps. All the reels carried twinned wire. Need two strands to wire up a field phone. The square on the smaller reels was for a carry handle for dispensing, sometimes a harness was clipped to it as well. The larger reels went onto carriers, racks, carts etc. DR-8, DR-8A and DR-8B only vary by contract date and some details in the mounting locations for the terminal block. and in the holes in the side of the flanges.

Matt

Originally (and we're going back to the European War (later known as the Great War, and finally WW1)) they used enamelled copper wire and wooden bobbin or slotted batten insulators and single wires plus earth spikes. Twin (i.e. all metallic circuit) cable came later once it was discovered that it could be eavesdropped on from a considerable distance.

Earth return was still used (to economise on cable) where possible until fairly recently. (OK, the 1960s.) e.g. assault cable.

I have a couple of DR8B reels (full) and the cable layer + straps as a result of an incautious eBay purchase. (The seller had copied someone else's lot description and just changed the photographs - I'd bid on that lot and the courier had lost it for a month... this is not relevant, but it explains why I have some US line kit.)

UK/Commonwealth (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, etc.) all used basically the same kit which evolved (very slowly) over time. Things like cable, earth pins and cable laying equipment standardised in the 1920s and were still current in WW2, some of it until the 1980s and beyond.

It depends on what James' signals jeep is representing, if it's Commonwealth then probably Reels, Cable, No.1 and D3 cable (single or twin) would be correct. (Assault cable was mainly an infantry item, and a metallic circuit (i.e. twin cable) would be needed for any variety of remote control unit.)

I also have no idea if the repro reel carrier I've seen accurately represents the WW2 Signals Jeep version - I suspect it does because the postwar Wireless Truck had a pair of cable reels with no apparent way of reeling-in any laid cable. I assume they parked up, grabbed the free end and walked it out to where it was needed, then either cut off the necessary length and abandoned it each time they moved or had someone else collecting up abandoned cable for re-use. If you need to reel-in the cable then you need an ACL (Apparatus, Cable Laying) to do that because there's nothing on the reel holder fitted to the vehicle.

Argh! It's 0100A and I need some sleep. Good Morning.

Chris.