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Ammunition containers

millector

Active Member
Just wondering if anyone can identify these storage containers,WW2 vintage.Wasn't able to measure exact length.approx 6 inch dia and 60 inches long, but did have cupboard type sleeve inside. DSCF9966.jpgDSCF9972 (1).jpgDSCF9990 (1).jpgDSCF9987.jpg
 
3.7" Mk 1-3 AA gun. 7.25" diameter X 46.5". I'd love to have an example if you ever recovered one.

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Hello millector, surprisingly British packaging it relatively rare in the UK.
I've never seen this container at a UK arms fair.

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Yes l think it was C268 and were painted a yellow colour.l hadn't seen one either before last weekend.Now we know where they all are,unfortunatly most are know rusted in places.
 
The Cylinder Steel C268 will be rare in UK because it was a temporary package made specifically for monsoon type rain regions and was the first waterproof package for Carts 3.7" Marks 1 - 3 gun.
It was rapidly superseded by the Cylinder Steel C333, which was also waterproof, for the same regions, so the Marks 2 and 3 were not produced.
The Cylinder Steel C333 components shown in the drawing were the forerunners of all single cartridge cylinders for some time to come. The 20 pounder among others used this basic design.
The immense disposal programme in UK ammunition depots between 1955 and 1958, of 3.7" ammunition started with tho older types of package first, then went through the rest. I did not start inspecting my thousands of 3.7" until the back end of 1957 and most of these were in the Box Steel C235 x 2, of which I have included drawing. I then finished with 3.7" Mark 6, packed x 1 clamped down in a wooden box.
Drawing 1 is the heading for the other two tables.
 

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C235 are still in use today for some Engineer stores, I cant remember which ones though. The ones I have seen are only wartime dated, 1944 etc
 
All the handy sized and shaped boxes which were made in vast numbers get used for applications for which they were not designed.
The G 70 which is a grenade box is used for all sorts of other ammunition. The C 238 trip flare box was also widely used. The H83 is used for shorter items.
In the later palletised packagings, if it will fit into an H83 that is used for everything. The number of H83 Unit Load Specifications is amazing.
Practically anything else that does not fit into an H83 has a package and ULS designed for it.
 
Returned to the cylinder site.On returning home and removing the cap found the original packing label glued underneath.
 

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Interesting that a British manufactured 3.7" was shipped to Australia during the war.

The shell and primer were filled at TAW - Thames Ammunition Works, Slade Green, Kent a Vickers Armstrong factory.
The fuze, a No. 208 was filled at CY - R.O.F. Chorley in 1943 and converted at SYD - Sydney in Feb' 1945.

TimG
 
Doug, were any of the cardboard tubes inside the containers in reasonable condition?
Graeme
 
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Here are a couple of photo's showing the inner cardboard tube.The better one still had the cap in place when found.Original green paint can be seen aswell
 

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cylinders

More photo's of the cylinders.There is the remains of yellow painted markings on the outside
Difficult to make out but can read UNDER NO ??????? MELBOURNE 3.7IN
 

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