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Ordnance case.

Simon Clarke

Simon Clarke

Member
Does anyone have any information on this trunk/ordnance case ?

Date ?. What would it carry.?

2 steel fittings similar to those seen on Mule trunk are missing. These would have been at the top on the back.

The markings on the back say :

T 32303

On the brass strapwork ROD and WD with Broad arrrow betweem.

There is a pouch to the interior. What would this have been for ?

Size 29 inch wide x 12 inch deep x 16 inch tall

IMG_1649.jpgIMG_1650.jpgIMG_1651.jpg Thank you if you can help.
 
This is only a guess but I think that it is unlike ammo boxes I have seen and looks too well made to have been merely an ammo box, although the front closures look a little modern and therefore out of place. Do they look as though they are a more modern substitute? I have seen similar closures on ammo containers from the 1960s and before. I'm guessing the box dates from the late 19th century or very early 20th century. The way the top of the lid is shaped looks like it could have doubled as a seat - think of long waits on railway stations. Just a guess.
 
Certainly oesn't look like any ammo box I've ever seen, I agree about the claps, they look bolted on, which makes me wonder about the hinges, do they look original to the box or could they be second hand?

The T number "might" be the regimental number of someone from the RASC
 
ROC is probably (or meant to be) RCD (Royal Carriage Department). RCD manufactured cases, boxes, drill ammunition etc as well carriages. In my limited experience their output was extensively marked. The use of W^D and RCD on the same stamp is interesting.
 
I think T.32303 is a Vocabulary of Army Ordnance Stores number, if any one has a copy.
 
The W^D mark was introduced in about 1856 when the Board of Ordnance was scrapped (B^O) and discontinued in 1895. So if the stamp is properly part of the case then it seems reasonable to assume that these dates are relevant to it.
 
Well I have turned my Mac Book Pro with Retina upside down and it is definitely ROD with a perfectly normal WD mark with a broad arrow in between. There is also a T inside a toothed circle.
In my early days I was issued with a Soldier's Box, but I would say that this is an Officer's equivalent. The hinges look like an add on.
Having used the VAOS previously mentioned, a lot, I would say it is a vocab number.
VAOS was the British Army's stock numbering system before NATO Stock Numbers were introduced.
 
The fittings to the front don't appear to have been replaced.

The brass section is not actually a hinge but is at the back at the bottom and presumably for adding strength and re- inforcing it. Again this does not look to have been replaced.

I'll post. more photos
 
IMG_1849.jpgIMG_1850.jpgIMG_1851.jpg

I hope this helps.

The leather strip near the top of the back is later and would be covering the leather hinge that must be underneath and broken or damaged.

My first thoughts were it was early 20th century.
 
Just had another look at the ROD mark. Looking at them both through a magnifying glass it could be RCD with a very small space at the open side of the C. I need to find some other stamps they used to compare.

I guess it would make more sense for it to be RCD (Royal Carriage Department).
 
Just my shillings worth, I'm inclined to agree with AE501, could be a campaign trunk for Officers personal possessions?
 
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