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  #1  
Old 11-08-12, 19:07
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Sean Dunnage Sean Dunnage is offline
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Location: Cumberland Beach, Ontario, Canada
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Default Some good finds this week

So I was wandering around New York and Ontario this week and came across the following bits 'n pieces.
I'm new to collecting so I'm not positive about my I.Ds so if anyone can help me out it is appreciated if I've got them wrong. Also if anyone can date the stuff for me even better.

Sean

I found this in an Ontario bargain store. I believe it's a Canadian Gas Mask Carrier 1943. Mint condition for $10.00



Same store in Ontario an M1 US Helmet Pot with fixed bales. Stamped 723A, well used and abused for $25.00




In Jamestown NY I found this US Civil Defence helmet for $20.00. Missing most of the decal, but the liner is in excellent condition and has some history with the label inside added.



Frome the same store in NY. I believe this is either a US Marine Garrison Cap dated May 9th, 1941 by Rite Style Model Cap Co. or a US Civillian Forestry Corps cap. I'm now leaning towards Forestry Corps. It's made from wool and is a Forest Green colour. $4.00



Lastly a US Engineers Garrison Cap found in the same store. No label except for what you see in the photo. Has a small moth hole. $4.00



I'm looking forward to next week....

Last edited by Sean Dunnage; 11-08-12 at 19:34.
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  #2  
Old 12-08-12, 13:04
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Sean Dunnage Sean Dunnage is offline
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Default Sad story

One sad story from my trips this week is finding a M1 US Helmet with an early westinghouse liner in the Ontario store that a kid was buying just before I got to check it out. I learned this listening to the clerk who had researched it a bit. The lid was $70.00 and in amazing condition. I overheard the young lad saying he was going to strip it down, paint it and use it for paint ball.... I nearly cried right there. When I told him that he had a piece of history in his hands and should leave it be he simply said who cares about that shit.

Sad world when some youth just doesn't care about the past.

Sean
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  #3  
Old 12-08-12, 13:39
Lang Lang is offline
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Sean,

Interesting photo of that gas mask carrier. I would not have believed it possible to see a more disgraceful standard of workmanship than a lot of Australian WW2 webbing equipment but looks like the Canadians take the cake.

The quality of not only the American workmanship but practically every other non British Commonwealth country of this period puts us to shame.

Lang
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  #4  
Old 12-08-12, 16:19
peter simundson peter simundson is offline
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Default Wrong country

That bag is british made. That's not a C broad arrow on the lid.

Made before the invasion for Light respirator.

Ir was a togh time for the factories and they had to us what they had.

Although I admit it wouldn't win a beauty contest.

Peter S
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  #5  
Old 12-08-12, 17:53
rob love rob love is offline
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Default

Maybe it's two tone camouflage. I have to admit it's one of the worst made examples I have seen.
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  #6  
Old 13-08-12, 05:02
Ed Storey Ed Storey is offline
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Default Lightweight Respirator Bag

This style and manufacture of this bag has always been somewhat of a mystery as a number of years ago they were quite common with all having the US style 'Lift the Dot' fastener and brass 'keeps' on the sides to hold the carrying strap. Have a look at the inside of the brass snaps, I believe they are stamped United Carr Australia. The cut of this type of bag is very different from the types used in Europe and may have been manufactured for the war against Japan.

When it comes to workmanship, Indian made WWII equipment is generally considered to be the worst of the Commonwealth nations. For the most part, the quality of Allied manufactured equipment is quite good and unlike some of the items manufactured today, was made to last.
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  #7  
Old 13-08-12, 05:08
Ed Storey Ed Storey is offline
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Default Canadian Lightweight (Assault) Respirator Bag

Canadian manufactured Lightweight (Assault) Respirator bags look like this example.

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  #8  
Old 13-08-12, 07:53
Lang Lang is offline
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Ed,

The first bag and the one in your photo bear no resemblance. The terrible standard of workmanship on the first (I will allow a bit of leeway as the canvas is twice as heavy and stiff) compared to the excellent finish on the second would make you think they come from two different worlds.

The first, as you say may be Australian, and in that case suffers from the limited cloth available from local manufacturers and looks like tarpaulin material. The Canadians either had a wider range of cloth or had access to American supplies. It certainly looks like the quality American fine canvas found in most of their equipment.

The main criticism was the workmanship and finish not the material.

Those lift the dot fasteners were (and still are) by far the most common metal design in use in Australia and dominated the field until the advent of modern nylon, velcro and plastic systems. They have about 5 times the holding power of common press-studs. There was not a "ute" in Australia without those holding the tarp on until the elastic loops took over in the late 70's.

Still strange to see on British pattern equipment which suffered from the very poorly chosen square buckle system which could not be tensioned satisfactorily and was very fiddly to adjust.
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  #9  
Old 13-08-12, 11:40
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Private_collector Private_collector is offline
Tony Baker
 
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Location: Wide Bay, QLD, Australia.
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Default Poor quality workmanship

That respirator bag may certainly be crap workmanship, but here it is 70 years later, still in usable condition. Probably made by very basic skilled workforce, and done 'under the pump' time wise. God forbid it should ever be needed again.

If you reckon that's lousy.................you should see the quality of panel fit on CMPs! No wonder they are full of stress cracks.

Guess dodgy workmanship is nothing new, just occurs for different reasons these days.
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Ford CMP, 115" WB,1942 (Under Restoration...still)
Medium sized, half fake, artillery piece project. (The 1/4 Pounder)
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  #10  
Old 01-09-12, 04:15
Stew Robertson Stew Robertson is offline
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Tony if you had gotten twisted and bent like those old CMP you would have stress cracks too and as for the panel fits ,the more clearance, the less creaks and groans for the enemy to hear you comin
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