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"FB" stamp on head

ydnum303

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

I have several 2-Pdr AA-gun fired cases with the mark FB in a rectangle. I understand that the marks in rectangles indicate places where repairs or modifications to the case have been made. Can anyone tell me what the FB stands for, please?
Seems to be only on Naval cases, and I have also seen it on 3-Pdr cases.

Thanks,
Roger
 
Any possibility that it's a poorly struck "EB"?

TimG

Tim,

Have you considered Faulkner Bros of Liverpool. I don't know what business they were in but they appear in a manuscript file of manufacturers that I have with a Naval Inspectorate stamp on the cover.
 
Norman,

I hadn't, I jumped straight to Earle Bourne who were cartridge manufacturers. I've looked at Falkner Bros., but can't find any mention of their trade. Another possibility is Firth Brown who were steel makers and dabbled in a lot of other things.

TimG
 
Thanks Tim and Norman, for the info.
I have other 2-Pdr cases with the following initials in these rectangles:- RL, PH (&PHD), BP, and LH, all of which I know are Naval Ammunition Depots. Looking again, I find that, in addition, there are rectangles with the initials GM, TT, NC, JX, BN, TH, AL, FE, GY, and a few others that are not clear. Some of these rectangles are relatively large; most of these additional ones are small. Would that be significant, such as indicating, say, an inspector rather than a repair depot?

Many of the cases have more than one of these stamps, usually with at least one barred-out so that the most recent stamp is obvious.

These 2-Pdr AA cases have far more of these marks than larger calibres, and my non-Naval cases seem to have none at all, so am I correct in thinking they refer to Naval bases, or are they also private firms who were doing refurbishment/alteration work on contract?

Roger.
 
I should have added that this query was prompted by the recent purchase at a local antiques fair of a 2-Pdr case made in 1916 by M.D.Co that has several of these rectangle stamps, - a large PHD, a small BN, a medium KY (all of which are barred-out) and a large FB (and it is quite clearly an "F", not an "E"). It has a No.5 primer filled in 8/34 by W (Woolwich, I suppose). In addition to its 1916 manufacturing date, it also has a barred-out 1931, so it would seem to have had an interesting life!

R.
 
Roger,

The practice was that the repairer's monogram would be within a rectangle. An apparent exception to this is Christopher Collins Ltd of St. Paul's Square, Birmingham who made 18 Pr and 4.5" cartridge cases, they also repaired them. Their monogram was CS within a rectangle, how they marked their repair work I've no idea.

I doubt any of the marks you mention are Inspectors' stamps as it wasn't the accepted practice and could lead to confusion. I've looked at a list of obsolete Station monograms and very few of yours appear in the list, one that did I think was Northolt, which I doubt existed at the relevant time. I have found finding details of Admiralty contractors very hard, I've yet to find details of any Admiralty ordnance contracts from either war.

In light of the vast quantities of the small cases used, there was probably an equally large number of repairers.

TimG
 
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