ammo box ID needed

Hanno Spoelstra · #1 29-01-09, 12:54

Can anyone ID these ammo boxes?

They are said to be of WW2 vintage.

Thanks,
Hanno

Bob McNeill · #2 06-02-09, 11:55

Look like 25Pr projectile box P59 held 4 heads in lift out clamp.

Clive_Dakers · #3 06-02-09, 18:55

Do you just have the photo Hanno or can you get access to them? The date will be stamped into the lid along with the identifying number. Difficult to say with absolute confidence but I agree with Bob that they look like P. 59

The one with the text showing doesn't have wire clips which i believe might help date it. I think a more solid clip indicates that it is post war while a wire clip indicates its a war/pre war box. You can see a wire clip in the first picture in the link.

Richard Farrant · #4 06-02-09, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Can anyone ID these ammo boxes?

They are said to be of WW2 vintage.

Thanks,
Hanno

Hanno,

A better view of them might help, but I think, from their size, that they are .303" ammo boxes. These contained two wooden boxes if memory serves me, and within the wooden box was a tin box with a soldered rip-off lid. This would contain either bandoliers with 5 cartridges to a clip or cardboard boxes of ammo.

Years ago, I used to go with my late father, target shooting at Bisley and other ranges, and many is the time I have had to unpack these and used to get the bandoliers as they were usually thrown away.

Had another look and think I can make out the wording on one box as "Tracer L5A1", which is 7.62mm. I think these are the same boxes as used for .303", so the dates on the boxes will tell.

Clive_Dakers · #5 07-02-09, 16:20

Richard, the box you are thinking of is the H. 50 and the H. 51. The H. 50 is the metal outer box as you describe and the H. 51 is the wooden inner box. They were both introduced at the end of WWII as the "Jungle Pack". I am desperately trying to find out if they were used by troops in Europe as most people seem to think. I have lists that "suggest" they they weren't in use in Europe. If anyone can supply an In Service date I would be most grateful. It is entirely possible that the two boxes were introduced at different times for different purposes. The H. 50 is still in use today.

Richard Farrant · #6 07-02-09, 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clive_Dakers

Richard, the box you are thinking of is the H. 50 and the H. 51. The H. 50 is the metal outer box as you describe and the H. 51 is the wooden inner box. They were both introduced at the end of WWII as the "Jungle Pack". I am desperately trying to find out if they were used by troops in Europe as most people seem to think. I have lists that "suggest" they they weren't in use in Europe. If anyone can supply an In Service date I would be most grateful. It is entirely possible that the two boxes were introduced at different times for different purposes. The H. 50 is still in use today.

Thank you Clive,

The attachments were very informative. I have a H.50 box which has been used a toolbox for the last 40 years, not accessable at present, to check dates on it, but I can see the pressings on it are not the same as in Hanno's photo. I still think that one box in the photo is marked up for 7.62 tracers, maybe they utilised these boxes after the demise of 25pdr.

As for jungle issue only I can safely say that H50/H51 combinations containing .303", were in use in Britain and although I came across some bandoliers in "jungle green", the common colour was Khaki. the metal inners made good storage bins and my father and myself used a lot of them.

Clive_Dakers · #7 08-02-09, 19:20

I don't think the H. 50/H. 51 combo was only used in jungles, but I presume the original purpose was and like a lot of British army stuff it was found to be useful in service and expanded to meet other needs. I have another box, a G.114 which looks like a grown up version of the H. 51 but I think was used for grenades. I assumue it was part of the "Jungle Pack" but I will have to look into it more.

Rob van Meel · #8 24-03-09, 10:04

Indeed the number pressed into the lid, e.g. P59 identifies the box.
P59 was used for 25-pr. Q.F. gun: H.E, Chem. and Smoke. With different markings indicating the various contents of 4 'rounds' 25-pr.
But the same box was also used for No. 68 grenade (17 grenades in the box) or 24 Bombs, hand incendiary 1 1/4 lb.

For more information on ammo boxes see the RAOC Statistiocs 1943 Pamphlet No. 2: Weights and measurements of explosives.

Rob

PS I do thios pamphlet, and many others, as a reprint: see www.robvanmeel.nl