Binoculars

[Lars R.]

Thanks Terry and Michael.

I found a nice clean R.E.L. Canada 1944, but Graticules removed. 6x30. Only Arrow, no C, marked C.G.B. 53 G.A. 33803-C, but that may be a supply to the British?

[rob love]

It seems that a lot of the Cdn produced optics were marked with the Broadarrow only despite the items being for Canadian use. You will find the same marking on sniper telescopes, even though the majority of them (especially the non-British models) were for Canadian service.

Yours appear to be nicely marked in that they do not have the post war Canadian Arsenals conversion marking on them. Most of the ones in this country have the later designation and markings. They would mill off the REL and put the CAL mark on them instead.

[Lars R.]

Thanks Rob.

...a shame though, that the Graticules were removed. Optics are great though. The FINNEGANS Case is 42, probably British. I love that BD blouse made by Dunlop Rubber Co.!

[Ed Storey]

During the Second World War the British/Canadians employed a number of binocular types with different magnifications for specific applications. A numbering system was used to differentiate each of the specific binocular types. Binoculars were precision optical equipment in which only a few companies had the ability to manufacture so it is not uncommon to find contracts being met by R.E.L. in Canada for the British which would account for the Broad Arrow stamp. The Finnegans marked 1937 Pattern Web case is indeed a British manufactured item as confirmed by the Broad Arrow markings.

I have attached a photographs from my collection of a set of C Broad Arrow stamped American manufactured Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. 8x30 Military Stereo as an example of inter-Allied production of optics.

IMG_8322 copy.jpg

IMG_8314 1 copy.jpg

[Lars R.]

Thanks Ed!

Yea, I thought it would have been an inter-Allied effort!
Nice Compass. I only wish I could find someone who could refill mine...
Double Broad Arrow means officially surplused, right?

[Ed Storey]

Originally Posted by Lars R.

Thanks Ed!

Yea, I thought it would have been an inter-Allied effort!
Nice Compass. I only wish I could find someone who could refill mine...
Double Broad Arrow mean officially surplused, right?

Thank you! My example is also a Broad Arrow marked 1943 dated Mk III manufactured by T.G. Co. Ltd. in London, although it is not as new as your boxed example.

Yes, the double Broad Arrow in a perfect world indicates it was officially surplused; although with the thousands of tons of Allied war material that was disposed of, it was impossible to double-stamp everything.

[Ed Storey]

T.G. Co. Ltd. must have manufactured a lot of compasses in 1943 as mine is serial number 235418.