Poles for signal wire?

[rob love]

So I spent Saturday, along with Derk Derin, out at our favorite surplus yard where we bought many things we never even knew we needed. I made the climb to the ceiling of the store and retrieved these poles, which I suspected were cleaning rods. Turns out the two with brushes are, and they will join my 2" mortar downstairs. They are nicely marked with CCM so are Cdn made, which is great. The brushes unscrew easy enough, but I am going to have to use some tools to try and un-thread the two halves of the handles, as they seem to be stuck.



The other poles are what I do not recognize. I did find a marking on one where it was made in Ottawa in 1940. But what are they? They join together for quite a length, so I am thinking perhaps for stringing signal wire up into the trees?

[Grant Bowker]

Just theories about the long pole with loop-
stringing cable as you suggest,

opening/closing high voltage switches on power lines (though most modern ones seem to be a peg on the end of the pole fitting into a loop on the blade or fuse).
Based on the long pole, I think the load/force is expected vertical (either overhead or down a hole) rather than at the end of a horizontal reach.

[David Dunlop]

Rob.

I have seen photos somewhere here on MLU of these poles being used laying communication lines along a road. Guys walking with the poles and a truck with a large cable reel in the back with other crew working the reel. Working somewhere in Holland perhaps.

David

[Jon Skagfeld]

The cable laying poles with the "C" opening at the top are/were known as crooksticks.





V V V

[rob love]

Thanks for the answers.

I am going to attach some photos of some of the other stuff we grabbed out there today. I had already put a bunch of it out in the shed, but thought maybe some photos might get some answers as to what some of it is. Besides, not everyone has access to surplus stores like these anymore, so you can live vicariously through what we found. Derk (who once claimed, on this very site, to be cured of the miliaria OCD) was out a bit earlier than I was and already had a small mountain of stuff before I got there. He passed on some items to me, and I passed an occasional item to him in retribution. Having two addicts in the same place does not make any measure of self control.

Anyway, here are the first batch of photos. I'll go into some detail of some of the curiosities in the next post, but for now I'll ask about the cleaning rod set shown on the fender. They are US made, but I am not sure what gun they are for. I have two sets of these.....just need the gun now.

[rob love]

In this group of photos are:
1: Some kind of goofy plier/adjustable wrench combination tool with a US marking. I can just imagine turning a nut with the adjustable wrench part and having the jaws of the plier close in on the meat of the thumb muscle.

2: Next photo is an iler/brush combination. You fill the handle with oil, and it leaks into the brush when you are cleaning metal. I saw the red/blue artillery marking on the one, so I grabbed them. The handle of one mentions "fountain oiler".

3:2 sizes of Bren track adjusters. I have to sandblast these and see what the part numbers are. I can certainly understand why they went to the smaller one. Derk found these, along with a few more and was nice enough to pass me a pair.

4: Some vintage 1940s US military goggles. They are made by foster grant, and the FG are also on the cases. They are one ugle little goggle. I grabbed 4 boxes of them, since the building they are in is well into it's collapse and demise.

5:

[rob love]

More:
1: Next are these army green telephone boxes. The photo inside shows the full setup. The candlesticks are missing as are the hand-cranks for the ringers, so the quest for those begins. But I did get to hear those bells dingeling all the way home, even after putting paper in between the clangers and the bells.

2&3: I grabbed one of the rangefinder telescopes. It is missing one eyepiece along with the instrument stand, so the search for those will begin.

4: There was a box of live ammunition, which was mostly shotgun shells. The owner does not want live ammunition in his sheds, as the storage laws for this kind of stuff has increased over the years, and as well he is worried about fire when 70 year old ammo goes off. There were 3 larger caliber bullets (20/40 marked) which appear to be live, with dark blue heads. (edited: a google search shows this to be likely Lahti 20mm ammunition).

5:An exterior photo of the phone boxes. In the background you can also see a couple of string-vests, and a bunch of the maple leaves (old style and new style) for the general's plates. I found an original generals plate, but the owner did not want to sell me that. I don't get nuthin......

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

The cable laying poles with the "C" opening at the top are/were known as crooksticks.
V V V

Yes, that's the standard "jointed crookstick" for laying field cable.

Y1/YA.1514 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2 - three 3 ft lengths and one 2 ft 8 in length, without straps.

Y1/YA.1516 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Intermediate Length
Y1/YA.1515 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Lower Length
Y1/YA.1517 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Top Length
Y1/YA.1518 STICK, Crook, Jointed. Mk.2, Strap - 2 ft 4 in by 3/4 in with sliding loop.

There are others:

Y1/YA.1524 STICK, Crook, 14-ft (in two sections) for use with poled cable.

Y1/YA.1519 STICK, Crook, Long (7-ft 6-in)

Y1/YA.1522 STICK, Crook, Short, dismounted services (3-ft 1.1/2-in) for dismounted work.

The 14-ft one is for use with the 18-ft (two piece) telegraph pole for overhead lines (poled cable), the 'Long' for laying cable from a vehicle - to position it in the ditch, out of the way, and the 'short' for the various backpack cable layers and the drum barrow when laying or reeling-in.

There are also a couple of "PIKE, Pole" items, one 7-ft 6.1/2-in, the other 12-ft 6.1/2-in - used for putting "skyhooks" into trees to make overhead crossings, etc.

The stores codes are sequential (in alphabetical order) because the items pre-dated the numbering system (possibly by as much as a century, in some cases), and the numbers were allotted using the then current V.A.O.S. in the late 1930s (possibly as late as 1940).



Chris.

[rob love]

Chris: As always, you have the kind of answer that leaves nothing to question.
I had a look at the other sections, and found C/l\ on most, along with what appears to be "kitewards 1937" on one.



I guess they will join the signals shelves out in the shed.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by rob love

More:
1: Next are these army green telephone boxes. The photo inside shows the full setup. The candlesticks are missing as are the hand-cranks for the ringers, so the quest for those begins. But I did get to hear those bells dingeling all the way home, even after putting paper in between the clangers and the bells.

2&3: I grabbed one of the rangefinder telescopes. It is missing one eyepiece along with the instrument stand, so the search for those will begin.

4: There was a box of live ammunition, which was mostly shotgun shells. The owner does not want live ammunition in his sheds, as the storage laws for this kind of stuff has increased over the years, and as well he is worried about fire when 70 year old ammo goes off. There were 3 larger caliber bullets (20/40 marked) which appear to be live, with dark blue heads. (edited: a google search shows this to be likely Lahti 20mm ammunition).

1) The candlestick telephones are sought after and will definitely not be cheap, I suspect.

2,3) very nice, I hope you can complete it.

4) Are those for (as Dean A. Grennell memorably described it) "the Lahti 20mm anti-tank cannon of formidable puissance"? I have seen the beast in question: snowboard-mounted, and with a muzzle brake like a giant harmonica. There is something very worrying about a "rifle" that you can insert your (cotton-gloved) thumb (it was in the Enfield Pattern Room) into the end of the muzzle brake without touching the sides.

Best regards,
Chris.

[rob love]

Re #4. Yes, it will be that Lahti. I have seen a few of them around, and they are nice rifles, however there was also a Solothurn around here for a while. I was there the day it blew up. Now that WAS a nice rifle. It has since moved to a new owner who I believe was going to try to rebuild it, however recent government prohibitions here in Canada have banned the use of guns like these. As such, the cartridges I obtained will likely end up with a cartridge collector.



Re the candlestick telephone, I'll keep my eyes out (where else) at my favorite surplus store. They are bound to be out there somewhere.

Rob

[Barry J. Cox]

Cleaning rods on the fender seem to fit the 40mm Bofors. Also commonly used on the 37mm U.S. anti-tank gun, tho probably not correct. Maybe the CC is for Chrysler Corp, who made the 40, but have never seen any official info on that.

Always thought the brushes with the fluid container and valve might be for stenciling.

And the Lahti is not so bad to shoot, especially if one mounts it on a tripod, or better yet, a stand behind mount. But the Solothurn is the one to use with that ammo; a true work of art, and way too pretty, and heavy, to take into combat.

[Kirk Armitage]

The center Brush in the pic is identical to the one I have, it was full of blue ink . It came with a paper stencil cutting machine I got from Crane Printers in Ottawa , when they closed .
K Armitage

[rob love]

You guys are correct on the brush...a quick google search on fountain brush shows they are still available today for stenciling.
Re the cleaning rods, there has to be a reason those were here in Manitoba. The only things that I can think of would have been the Stuart or Staghound...perhaps moreso the staghound as those were in Manitoba. As to Bofors, Canada used the hinged cleaning rods as opposed to the US pattern of rod, so that would not have been a reason for them to be here. As well, both the sets of rods came in a set of 3 which is pretty long for the antitank gun, but would make more sense on a tank or armoured car.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

When you look at CMP stenciled markings (CZ xxx etc.) many don't have sharp edges that you would expect from spray paint, and the hand done ones are usually detectable. Given that rattle cans hadn't been invented yet and spray paint with compressors would have been difficult I wonder if these fountain brushes were used.

[rob love]

Here is a shot of the two carrier adjusting cams. The thick one ends in B, the thin one would be later and the part number ends in C. Note the older (larger) one has an extra hole compared to the later one.

[rob love]

Here is a shot of some manifolds I picked up on the previous trip. I thought they were for the GMC M135, and spent a good half hour trying to get them out of the labyrinth of a shelf they were tucked in to. But they didn't look quite right. Turns out the are, as the tag indicates, for older IHC trucks. When I google the part number 220326R1, it turns out they are desirable to IHC collectors, but I have never had an IHC in my stable. The part number on the tag is LV7/IHC/ 220326R1 .
Oh well, they get to join the rest of the stuff on the shelves, waiting either for the day someone comes looking, or for the auction sale after my demise. It is starting to look like that warehouse where they stash the Holy Grail at the end of that Indiana Jones movie. This was a new and empty shed 3 years ago. Still a little room on some of the shelves yet, so will have to make a couple more trips to the scrapyard this summer.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by rob love

Oh well, they get to join the rest of the stuff on the shelves, waiting either for the day someone comes looking, or for the auction sale after my demise. It is starting to look like that warehouse where they stash the Holy Grail at the end of that Indiana Jones movie.

Bzzzt! Ark of the Covenant.



Chris. (I need a bigger shed, or time to sort stuff and throw old magazines away to make room for radio kit.)

[rob love]

Some say the arc and the grail are one in the same.