Anyone know what this is.......

SpitfireIV

......because I dont :rolleyes:


Picked this 'thing' up a few year back, it was only a couple of pound at the time and it looked interesting back then, even though I didnt know what it was....and still dont. Below are a number of pics, let me know if you've ever seen anything of the like or any ideas at all......


Front



Rear



Side



Inside, note its fur lined, quite thickly, so obvioulsy to protect something important.



Makers mark on front of lid.


From the front it almost has the shape of a gun holster, also the large flap so as to slide onto a belt or something similar as can be seen from the rear pic. But the size, 170mmX190mmX70mm, so its very big and bulky, and made of thick leather. Its similar to the spare part kit boxs issued to MG42 gun crews, so perhaps its for a long range sight for another gun, artillery piece? I dont know.

Any ideas??

CroppyBoy1798

Degsy

CroppyBoy1798 wrote:

......because I dont :rolleyes:


Picked this 'thing' up a few year back, it was only a couple of pound at the time and it looked interesting back then, even though I didnt know what it was....and still dont. Below are a number of pics, let me know if you've ever seen anything of the like or any ideas at all......


Front



Rear



Side



Inside, note its fur lined, quite thickly, so obvioulsy to protect something important.



Makers mark on front of lid.


From the front it almost has the shape of a gun holster, also the large flap so as to slide onto a belt or something similar as can be seen from the rear pic. But the size, 170mmX190mmX70mm, so its very big and bulky, and made of thick leather. Its similar to the spare part kit boxs issued to MG42 gun crews, so perhaps its for a long range sight for another gun, artillery piece? I dont know.

Any ideas??

CroppyBoy1798

It looks like the holster for a starting pistol..or maybe a flare pistol..justa guess.

arctic lemur

I'd agree, a pistol holster

Degsy

Possibly for this kind of pistol

SpitfireIV

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah I was thinking that it was a holster for a while, but holsters are generally made from thinner leather and tend not to be fur lined, this thing is heavy duty, note the rivers and heavy stitching.

I was thinking then that if it were for a pistol and dated 1918, perhaps it was a holster for strapping to the side of an aircraft or something, ie, 1918, most planes were open etc.

Hmm.....still thinking here :rolleyes:

Karoma

There was a W.B. & Co. Ltd. that used to make railway stuff (wagons,etc.) back around that time, as far as I know. Possibly a starter pistol to be carried in the locomotive to scare livestock off tracks?

Degsy

Karoma wrote:

There was a W.B. & Co. Ltd. that used to make railway stuff (wagons,etc.) back around that time, as far as I know. Possibly a starter pistol to be carried in the locomotive to scare livestock off tracks?

Or to warn oncoming locomotives about impending danger.They still use detonators today that they put on tracks.

peterh321

Probably a pistol holster. I'm not sur though.

SpitfireIV

Yeah, I think I'll have to settle with it being some form of a pistol holster, but if that is the case then it served some different purpose due to the robustness of the holster itself.

Cheers;)

CroppyBoy1798

Degsy

Perhaps the holster is robust because it was an expensive pistol?Certainly makers marks arent all that common on holsters..just a thought.

shanethemofo

lol id laugh now if it turned out to be for carrying socks or something :P

JohnnieM

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/contract07.htm

perry wb & co are listed a s a supplier to the us navy it does say electric after the company name though...

Lust4Life

My guess is completely different. Hubby and I love to go camping and have supplies to be able to camp in all kinds of weather. That actually looks much like the holster that our "Entrenchment Tool" is kept in.

The entrenchment tool is a small collapsable shovel. Folds to a small size, the shovel part is in the holster, the handle dangles from the bottom.

Perhaps being stamped for a railroad company your holster once held a small railway pick axe or something similar for quick repairs to tracks? (pounding pins back into the ground or something like that?).

Can't say for sure, it's only a guess.

L4L

FiSe

Hi everybody,

despite the fact, that it looks like a pistol holster, it's not...I believe, why? Can you imagine to try to get this bloody thing out of it as quick as possible in time of need?
My guess is some navigational instrument, sextant? or some sort of optic equipment, gun sight?

boneless

FiSe wrote:

Hi everybody,

despite the fact, that it looks like a pistol holster, it's not...I believe, why? Can you imagine to try to get this bloody thing out of it as quick as possible in time of need?
My guess is some navigational instrument, sextant? or some sort of optic equipment, gun sight?

I agree with this... pouches for prismatic compasses are fleece lined so that was the first thing I thought of when I saw these pics... shape is odd though... sextant/quadrant?

SpitfireIV

I'm really digging this topic back out of the dust........but happened to go on e-bay earlier and spotted this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250108750516&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015

So there we have it, a clinometer case! Thats my troubled mind finally put to rest