L42 Transit chest Markings

[Thunderbox]

Thunderbox, out of curiosity, are the corner mortice joints on your 'new' box larger than those shown in most of the illustrations? I have a late chest that is bronze green & the joints are larger than on the majority of issue cases. I have seen a few others like this as well. Presumably a late production run with some minor simplifications. Not important, but just worth a mention.

ATB

Well spotted that man! Yes; I have three older L42 chests with the "small" finger joints at the corner, whilst the "new" one has substantially bigger 1/2" finger joints. The torn paper sticker ha the abbreviation "... wkshps ..." on it, so it has been to/from a unit of some kind.

[Peter Laidler]

wkshps = workshops

[newcastle]

Hi Peter, check my last post on the previous page. there is a rifle scope and spotters scope number listed - Have they been through your tender hands at some point

[Peter Laidler]

Don't have ready access to my old computer files but will look when computer literate son puts old computer 'stuff' onto new computer.

[newcastle]

Thanks Peter. Always interesting to fill in the gaps as to where these old girls have been.

[Cold_Zero]

so I went down and checked my case today closeer than I ever have before. turns out that the matt drab was over the bronze green which was over a previous coat of matt drab. There were several bumpy patches that I never really looked at before so I did a wee bit of rubbing with a cloth dipped in Turps. There was a large area of RED paint and on top of that a large area of yellow paint, which didn't co-incide exactly with the red, the yellow blocked out half of the red and I can make out the shape under them both of the words "BOX NO". The red appears to be over a piece of paper about3 x 5 inches, which was white with a green edging, divided up into sections, that I haven't been able to check as yet. There were also a couple of bits of paper stuck on with sellotape which the bronze green was just painted over. One of them in block handwriting listed the rifle, scope number and Scout scope number that was in the box. if you have 'Sniper Rifle 33879' with 'Sniper Scope 28821' and 'Scout Reg 19144' - I have your box. Any records of these numbers through your workshop Peter?

Something like this?

[newcastle]

something pretty close but i haven't got down to the actual lettering on the red and yellow paint yet. Taking it very slowly to see what's under there. Would be a hoot if it was also 22nd SAS as that was my dad's mob in his time.

[Peter Laidler]

You VERY rarely see that marking on any Army kit, if ever. We see a fair amount of stuff and I've never seen it marked for what it's worth..... You might see the UIN (the unique or unit identifying number) but as for the blatant marking............................

[newcastle]

Actually I was talking rot, sorry - my dad's lot was 21 SAS not 22. I never ever saw anything on his boxes chests gear or whatever indicating that though. They were fairly circumspect even in those days about the 'SAS' title.