Telescope, Scout Regt Mk IIs

[Lance]

A question to my fellow optic's collectors/sniper collectors.

I was wondering if there are any manufacturers of the Mk IIs, Scout Regt. Telescope that I have yet to come across yet? So far I have come across and purchased:

B.C. Ltd Co., Broadhurst Clarkson of London
H.C.R & Son Ltd, H.C. Ryland & Son
K.E.C., Kodak Eastman Company
H.B.M. Co., Houghton Butcher Manufacturing Company

I have ranked them from most common, to least as I have observed in my search. Highest s/n I have found for each manfacturer is:

BC-24808, HCR-20336, KEC-22096, and HBM-5291

So am I missing a manufacturer or two of the Scout Regt? Second, for you Aussie's out there, did Australia make any make/model of spotting scope during WWII? I just need to find a pair for my HT's.

Thanks guys

Information

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[Son]

Lance.
I've got pics of 75 different Sct Regt telescopes. From the numbers I have found,
BC & co #28663
HCR #28791
KEC #22096 (which is lower than your highest)
HBM #5467

Also there is another maker, AL Vincent & Co- (a picture of the markings at the bottom of the post)

Ok. Now I also know there was an amount of these made in Australia, by I think A.O.C. (Australian Optical Co)- the people who made our Patt18 scopes for the Lithgow Snipers. I thought I had a pic of one, but cannot find it. If I do, I'll send it on. The standard issue telescope in Australia was the Sct Regt right up untill the early '90's. The majority were from England, some apparently have been noted to bear the D^D marking, but I haven't confirmed this. (I'd imagine only ones that were sent for heavy repair may have been marked- if at all)
I'd just stick any in with your HT's. I'll put a pic below also of one in the Museum here- the description card is readable.
Cheers,
Brad.

[Lance]

Many thanks Brad for the info!

Now to find an example of AL Vincent, the quest is on.

I have yet to pick up a couple of scopes for my HT's as I was hoping to find an Australian made or Australian property marked example. No rush but if anyone finds one or two...............

Of interest on KEC scope's, the "early" example I just picked up, #6020 has a 1943 date on the tube by "KEC". It is the first Scout Regt. of any maker that I have come across dated.

[Rowdy]

Not at all sure what the Australian Army used most but they still had (and may still have) a lot of WW1 scopes and must have made some more in WW2 probably to expand existing stock.

[Son]

Many thanks Brad for the info!

Now to find an example of AL Vincent, the quest is on.

I have yet to pick up a couple of scopes for my HT's as I was hoping to find an Australian made or Australian property marked example. No rush but if anyone finds one or two...............

Of interest on KEC scope's, the "early" example I just picked up, #6020 has a 1943 date on the tube by "KEC". It is the first Scout Regt. of any maker that I have come across dated.

Just had a quick flick through some pics, got about three BC scopes dated 1940. The fourth in order of serial numbers is 3833 and it's not dated. One pic below for your reference.

Thanks for showing the AOC scope, Rowdy. (I didn't imagine it) I'll search my hard drive later, but maybe it was a Sig. Mk VI I saw too...

[WilliamT]

I do not know how I got it, but I have a virtually new Broadhurst and Clarkson scope. This thread got me to admiring it Friday. Clean, clean and cleaner is the best description.

Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Peter Laidler]

Has anyone got an original Mk2 without the shutter. That's working on the basis that my old Instrument notes describe the Tele Sct Reg Mk2S as '.....similar to the former but incorporating a sliding shutter in the eye piece'

This leads me to ask, was the original telescope a Mk1 and when it incorporated the shutter mechanism, did it become the Mk 2 with the extra 'S' for shutter

Does anyone need OG lenses for the Mk2S?

[WilliamT]

I probably sound dumb but what is an OG lens?

[Peter Laidler]

Ah, yes! Not dumb at all Bill. That's how we learn........ It's the Instrument technical jargon for the Object Lens. That's the most forward of the lenses in the operating system.......unless you have a prismatic lens ahead of it, as in some of the pattern 18 scopes. The OG lens for the Scout Reg scope is the large lens at the front that always meets the ground first when you drop it ..........................ouch!

This is quite an interesting story in a roundabout way, being so famously associated with the No4T. Why don't you collectors/specialists get together and write up a small paper on the subject? Don't wory if there are many many mistakes. They'll soon be corrected and others will add to the story with their twopence worth and after a year or so, it'll be a good pretty well definitive tome.

Don't forget that the first person to read it immediately knows more than you because he knows ALL that you have written plus the little bit he knew before. But that's how we progress. I think it'd make an interesting read.

[Lance]

My best guess for "OG" would be "optically ground" as these would be manufactured (aka ground) to bend light. Optically neutral lenses would be those that have no light bending properties.