Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

For me, the pocket watch, and its use with the 52-Set, is another impressive example of how complete the research was that CMC undertook in designing the set. They seem to have paid a lot of attention to details when they checked with the existing Canadian Army operators of the No. 9 and No. 9 Mk I sets to find out what they liked and wanted improved with each product, as well as what the Canadian Army HQ wanted. While puttering about putting together all the things I will need to restore the Supply Unit in my 52-Set, I have taken time to restudy the WW2 Canadian and British Military Pocket Watch.

The standard GSTP Pocket Watch used by the Canadian and British Armies during the war had specifications that all the watch makers complied with to the best of their ability during the war. Just like other war production, however, what was available to wartime watch makers varied enough that the size standards in particular were often not met exactly. Adding to the problem, for security reasons, all G.S.T.P. pocket watches bore no maker names on the watch face, and to really mix things up, it was very common practice for the watch parts makers to be supplying more than one watch manufacturer. You cannot rely on the look of the face, hands, crystal or other bits to accurately identify what company made the completed watch. All that information is stamped in code on the chassis of the movement inside the back cover of the pocket watch. That coded information will tell you who made the movement, who made the watch, the model number of the watch, the serial number of the watch and often the month/year, or year, of manufacture.

I have four, all British and all different makers. All have the standard Ball winder on the top of the stem, and a ring fitted to the stem for adding a watch chain or lanyard. All are stamped on the back of the case G.S.T.P. with a serial number and broad Arrow. Interestingly, only one fits like a glove in any of my pocket watch holders and it is also the only one fully working still. It is currently mounted on the front of the RCA Speaker Assembly on my AR88LF. Another watch is mounted on my 19-Set Mk III and fits nicely (ever so slightly loose). A third one is quite loose and is mounted on my 19-Set Mk II. If the set was in a moving vehicle, it would rattle around a bit in the holder.

The last Pocket Watch I have has an original leather lanyard and sits on my radio bench. If I try and insert it in any of my Pocket Watch Holders, the ring is positioned slightly lower on the stem than the other three watches so it prevents the watch from dropping low enough into the holder for the bottom part of the watch to be secured. The crystal would probably get broken on this watch if it was in a holder on a wireless set that was in a wireless vehicle going across country. Or the Bakelite holder would get shattered.

When a watch is mounted in a holder on a 19-Set, or the AR88 Series of receivers, the operator has full access to the winding ball on top of the stem, even with the guards in place on the 19-Sets. It gets very interesting, very quickly, however, if you install one of these round ball GSTP Pocket Watches in the holders on the 52-Set Receivers.

From the top of the watch case to the top of the winding ball on the watch is 9/16-inch. The space between the top of the Pocket Watch Holder on the 52-Set Receiver and the inside face of the receiver case is exactly 1/2-inch. On the Remote Receiver, you can get the watch to just fit, if you curve the top part of the case slightly. This is not possible, however, with the Carriers for the main set because of that upward fold on the sheet metal to stiffen it. Also, to get the Pocket Watch to fit, the ring must be folded forward, away from the front panel of the receiver and the case for the receiver. This puts it in the way of the operator trying to wind the ball of the watch. If you try flipping the ring to the back, it will jamb in the corner between the receiver front plate and receiver case and force the top of the watch forward enough you cannot fasten the front cover of the holder. Adding insult to injury, to adjust the time on the pocket watch, the ball on the top of the stem must be pulled up to disengage the winder and engage the hands. This raises the ball another 1/32-inch, which cannot be done with the pocket watch in place.

When I first saw the illustration of the pocket watch Canadian Marconi was using with the 52-Set, I thought it odd the watch used the flat style of winder on top of the stem, and that there was no ring. None of this made sense to me until I tried fitting the standard GSTP Pocket Watch into the two holders on my 52-Set and could not get any of mine to fit properly or be accessible to wind and change time. It was then that I realized how smart the designers and engineers were at CMC. They anticipated the problem and solved it with a custom pocket watch for the 52-Set. The flat top winder is only half as high as the ball winder and without the ring, the operator can easily wind and change the time on either pocket watch when it is in place.

Another feature utilized by CMC was to ensure the pocket watch they needed for the 52-Set was none magnetic. This additional step would ensure these watches would keep running accurately for wireless use in such close quarters to high RF voltages. There was no risk of the movement parts all becoming mini-magnets attracting and repelling each other to a complete halt.


David

[David Dunlop]

As I noted in my first post on the 52-Set pocket watches, without an opportunity to examine one of them to record the markings on the back of the case, any markings on the inside of the rear cover, and the stampings on the movement, the odds of identifying the actual manufacturer are quite slim.

The most probable manufacturer would have been in North America, based on the security/safety of the supply delivery system from the manufacturer to the Canadian Marconi Company in Montreal. Their intension to have both receivers in each 52-Set kit equipped with pocket watches upon delivery to the end user in the field, meant these watches had to be available in steady supply on the production line for packing on the receivers, along with a sufficient supply of additional watches for the Army’s Supply System. That would mean a potential Contract Order with a company for between 8,000 and 10,000 watches.

There were quite a number of clock and watch makers in Canada and the United States but when you look at the number actually making watches during World War 2, there was only one in Canada and four in the United States. I have taken a dive into the one in Canada first, as it would have provided the shortest delivery distance to CMC’s Montreal production facility.

The Western Clock Company was based in the United States, but essentially wound up most of its watch making operations prior to the start of the war. It did, however, have a well established Canadian Division based in Peterborough, Ontario, also initially known as the Western Clock Company, but probably better known operating under its trademark name of Westclox Canada Limited. Its factory closed about 20 years ago, but was maintained for a while as a warehouse distribution centre, before also finally being shuttered. I believe the buildings are still there, but repurposed.

While researching this, I ran across a small reference on the web noting the archive of Westclox Canada had been donated to the City of Peterborough Museum and Archives, so dropped them a line to see if anything was in the files from 1943-1944 relating to contracts with Canadian Marconi. Short story, the only 1943-1944 files they found were rather sterile accounting records with little or no cross reference to the sources of incoming cash. Lots of product references and postwar adverts but not all of this has been catalogued, The long story unfolded in a rather similar way as the fate of the Canadian Marconi Company archives when they closed up shop. Records were simply getting trashed for a period of time before somebody had the idea that perhaps they might be of value to an outside archive. In the Westclox case, the City of Peterborough was contacted because of the long presence of the company in Peterborough. At least the archive has my name now so if anything interesting turns up down the road, they can contact me. In conversations with the archive, I remembered Westclox definitely had their hands in other wartime production, one of which was the Morse Key and Plug Assembly No. 9, which was also part of the 52-Set kit. It is possible Westclox may have been making both items for Canadian Marconi.



David

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

The standard GSTP Pocket Watch used by the Canadian and British Armies during the war had specifications that all the watch makers complied with to the best of their ability during the war. Just like other war production, however, what was available to wartime watch makers varied enough that the size standards in particular were often not met exactly. Adding to the problem, for security reasons, all G.S.T.P. pocket watches bore no maker names on the watch face, and to really mix things up, it was very common practice for the watch parts makers to be supplying more than one watch manufacturer. You cannot rely on the look of the face, hands, crystal or other bits to accurately identify what company made the completed watch. All that information is stamped in code on the chassis of the movement inside the back cover of the pocket watch. That coded information will tell you who made the movement, who made the watch, the model number of the watch, the serial number of the watch and often the month/year, or year, of manufacture.

Not strictly true: a lot of the British watches have a maker's name on the face, and a serial number on the back. (Of course, it's now difficult to trust watches being sold on eBay (etc.) because there's a big incentive for the unscrupulous (nay, crooked) seller to erase or add markings, or change the dial for one marked Rolex or Omega, in order to inflate the price.)

I have four, all British and all different makers. All have the standard Ball winder on the top of the stem, and a ring fitted to the stem for adding a watch chain or lanyard. All are stamped on the back of the case G.S.T.P. with a serial number and broad Arrow. Interestingly, only one fits like a glove in any of my pocket watch holders and it is also the only one fully working still. It is currently mounted on the front of the RCA Speaker Assembly on my AR88LF. Another watch is mounted on my 19-Set Mk III and fits nicely (ever so slightly loose). A third one is quite loose and is mounted on my 19-Set Mk II. If the set was in a moving vehicle, it would rattle around a bit in the holder.

GSTP = General Service Trade Pattern (or possibly "Temporary Pattern") and were standard (-ish) pocket watches for the period.

There was (briefly) a "Watch W/T Non-Magnetic" which was actually _cheaper_ than the GSTP watches, having a chrome-plated iron case to screen the movement from the magnetic fields of generators and rotary converters in the wireless sets. They were later found to be unnecessary (and also less accurate, being cheap).

The last Pocket Watch I have has an original leather lanyard and sits on my radio bench. If I try and insert it in any of my Pocket Watch Holders, the ring is positioned slightly lower on the stem than the other three watches so it prevents the watch from dropping low enough into the holder for the bottom part of the watch to be secured. The crystal would probably get broken on this watch if it was in a holder on a wireless set that was in a wireless vehicle going across country. Or the Bakelite holder would get shattered.

The GSTP was a standard issue pocket watch, and not intended for fitting to equipment or use in watch holders. The massive expansion of radio usage meant that the original nickel-plated brass watch holder (on the No.1 and 11 sets) couldn't be produced quickly enough and it was replaced by the Bakelite version we (mostly) see today. The watches for those are mostly the 'B' series, produced without bows (the ring for a lanyard or chain on the winder stem), and usually with a short stem (probably specified for the WS19 Mk.1 which caused trouble with some watches being unable to fit the WS19 Mk.III because the power supply connector was a larger diameter and too close to the watch holder as a result). Earlier sets had the watch holder at the top of the front panel with nothing above them, but the WS19 was designed to fit a restricted space in an AFV.

When a watch is mounted in a holder on a 19-Set, or the AR88 Series of receivers, the operator has full access to the winding ball on top of the stem, even with the guards in place on the 19-Sets. It gets very interesting, very quickly, however, if you install one of these round ball GSTP Pocket Watches in the holders on the 52-Set Receivers.

Try a 'B' series watch with no bow, it is more likely to fit. (Note: a lot of surplus watches will have been retrofitted (frequently rather badly) with bows for subsequent sale.)

When I first saw the illustration of the pocket watch Canadian Marconi was using with the 52-Set, I thought it odd the watch used the flat style of winder on top of the stem, and that there was no ring. None of this made sense to me until I tried fitting the standard GSTP Pocket Watch into the two holders on my 52-Set and could not get any of mine to fit properly or be accessible to wind and change time. It was then that I realized how smart the designers and engineers were at CMC. They anticipated the problem and solved it with a custom pocket watch for the 52-Set. The flat top winder is only half as high as the ball winder and without the ring, the operator can easily wind and change the time on either pocket watch when it is in place.

Yep!

Another feature utilized by CMC was to ensure the pocket watch they needed for the 52-Set was none magnetic. This additional step would ensure these watches would keep running accurately for wireless use in such close quarters to high RF voltages. There was no risk of the movement parts all becoming mini-magnets attracting and repelling each other to a complete halt.

Not RF, it's the magnetic field from the rotary transformers (Dynamotors, "Anode Converter", etc.) that they were worried about - and probably more about eddy currents induced in the balance wheel slowing it down, which would vary according to the amount of time the set was in use and so couldn't be easily "adjusted out" by the radio operator.

The "Signals Office" used a GSTP watch but didn't adjust the time very often - they kept a record of the "error" relative to the 21:00 time broadcast from HQ and (presumably) adjusted the watch when the difference became too great. (Saves wear and tear on the watch, and they'd just add/subtract corrections in the paperwork, as required.)

I have a few "B" watches, some GSTP ones, an Australian W/T watch in a brass case (that some idiot removed all the black paint from and _polished_), and a Watch W/T Non Magnetic (with Roman numerals on the dial). I've also got my father's watch (which I must get restored) that _was_ used with his WS19 (because the issue watch was unreliable), and that was a present from his uncle (who was a Major in the army and ended up in Katyn).

There's an overview of military watches here:https://royalsignals.org.uk/photos/watch.htm

Best regards,
Chris (G8KGS)
Junior Password Gnome

[David Dunlop]

Yikes, Chris!

First of all, thanks for taking the time to post all that information. The ‘humble’ GSTP pocket watch is a far more complex topic than I ever imagined.

When I was trying to find appropriate watches to mount on my wireless sets a few years ago, I did run across a number of such watches with names on their faces, but confusion set in quickly with many comments being found on this that these were maker names and other comments they were just the names of ‘bespoke’ military tailors where officers would go to get kitted out for custom uniforms. Out of that confusion I assumed makers were unlikely in wartime to advertise themselves, so all those names were more likely just tailors who did not think the officers would be dumb enough to get captured. Beyond that, most of my research information focused on a handful of North American watch makers, as the most likely candidates to have produced the Canadian Army pocket watches.

Interestingly, the steel cases came up in the NA readings I found regarding none magnetic watches with comments they were not that good. Three or four very odd alloys were discussed that had been developed in the years prior to WW2 for making the watch main springs and other movement parts that seemed to be quite effective. These alloys had very odd names that made me wonder if they had not been discovered while excavations were underway in the Mile Forts along Hadrians Wall.

Sorry to hear about the polished brass watch holder. I have also seen that done to wartime military compasses, sniper scopes and binoculars ‘to restore their true value’.


David

[Chris Suslowicz]

I think Waltham and Elgin were the major American suppliers of watches (certainly to the British under Lend -Lease), and they were just their standard watch. My suspicion is that the Canadian WS19 Supply Unit No.2 had the watch holder moved to the front of it (instead of being on the set) was to solve the problem of tall winding stems.

The Australian watch (not a watch holder) should be finished in black "opticians enamel", I think, but mine has been "got at" by the Mad Brass Polisher[TM].

There's worse: I've seen optical instruments polished and CHROME-PLATED at some events! (Theodolites, heliographs, Instruments Flash-Spotting, and so on - they would never have been accepted for service with that finish.)

On the subject of Westclox (Western Clock Co.) - they also made daylight signalling lamps as well as morse keys for the WS19.

Best regards,
Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Another step closer to starting work on the Supply Unit.

These two cartridges of grease were picked up today, destined for the four bearings in the two rotary transformers. This grease follows the lineage of the original wartime grease used up until the 1970’s and discontinued by Imperial Oil shortly afterwards.

The original Andoc-C was a Grade 4, high temperature grease for electric motors. Imperial/Mobil no longer makes a Grade 4 grease, but their Polyrex line is still intended for this equipment today. Polyrex EM 103 is a Grade 3 grease but very hard to find in cartridges at a reasonable price. This Polyrex EM is a Grade 2 version rated to be stable up to 499 degrees which should be more than adequate for running the 52-Set on short term transmissions at standard room temperatures for the rest of its life. The tricky bit will be flushing out all the old sodium based original grease from the bearings before repacking them with this newer lithium based product.

I do not anticipate using very much of this grease, but the cost of two cartridges locally for pickup was well below the single cartridge price of this stuff I could find anywhere on the web. Leftovers will be transferred to the one pound tin and labeled, as part of the supplies for the 52-set shown in the Parts List.



David

[David Dunlop]

I think I have mentioned it before, this project would have been better started 50 years ago when 52-Set equipment was much more readily found. But then what is a project without challenges.

One of the items issued with the Remote Receiver and stocked in its Operating Case was a 100 foot coil of antenna wire; Wire, Electrical, R4, Mk 1. Next to impossible to find today under that specific identification. A little over a year ago, however, I stopped searching for the official military named product and started searching the internet using the actual description of the cold draw, stranded copper wire, provided in the Master Parts List for the 52-Set.

Not only did I discover this product is still alive and well and in production, but 100 foot coils can still be purchased from a number of Amateur Radio suppliers in the United States, or directly from the primary manufacturer, Davis RF, also in the USA. Most pricing falls in the low to mid $20.00 USF range but pay attention to shipping costs. Some will hit four times the value of the goods, or more.

I picked up my order in Pembina, North Dakota today and was delighted to find the coil was wound to within one quarter inch in diameter of the size of the coil illustrated in the Master Parts List. The weight of this coil comes in at 1.375 pounds and it was nice to finally have one of the items stored in the left side compartment of the Operating Case, actually in place.



David

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

One of the items issued with the Remote Receiver and stocked in its Operating Case was a 100 foot coil of antenna wire; Wire, Electrical, R4, Mk 1. Next to impossible to find today under that specific identification. A little over a year ago, however, I stopped searching for the official military named product and started searching the internet using the actual description of the cold draw, stranded copper wire, provided in the Master Parts List for the 52-Set.

How detailed was the description? (Somewhere I have the UK Military Specification for Wire, Electrical, R4 (and the heavier R7 type), and it may still be a current item - though it will be for specialist uses and a controlled item due to its scrap value.)

Not only did I discover this product is still alive and well and in production, but 100 foot coils can still be purchased from a number of Amateur Radio suppliers in the United States, or directly from the primary manufacturer, Davis RF, also in the USA. Most pricing falls in the low to mid $20.00 USF range but pay attention to shipping costs. Some will hit four times the value of the goods, or more.

I picked up my order in Pembina, North Dakota today and was delighted to find the coil was wound to within one quarter inch in diameter of the size of the coil illustrated in the Master Parts List. The weight of this coil comes in at 1.375 pounds and it was nice to finally have one of the items stored in the left side compartment of the Operating Case, actually in place.

David

That seems to have a shorter lay (i.e. rather faster twist rate) than the UK version, which was issued in 41-yard packets (a quarter-wavelength at the lowest frequency likely to be used) for making up or extending/repairing issued aerials. I'll see what I can dig out, but I think it was "one inch lay", or 12 turns per foot. I may be able to turn up the stores code and NSN, but these will not be for the WS52 "100-ft coil".

The "ready made" aerials seem to have been constructed without much attention to detail: I've got at least one where the first section (of something intended to replace the "set of six" wire aerials) is ten feet too long - making it unusable for the intended role. (One of the other sections is ten feet short, so it's a cutting error during manufacture, but it won't match any settings provided on the standard tuning charts - this may be why it survived WW2.)

Best regards,
Chris.