GSTP

[Peter Laidler]

I can't argue with the photo and I only joined in 1963. I can only guess that the small arms school at Hythe (where the handbook was written up and photographed) still had old GSTP's in stock (General Service Time Pieces ?). Like most things, they were probably obsolescent as opposed to obsolete. On the courses the watch was important for observation of sentry movement, arrivals of high ranking people who make regular apearances or regular patterns of movement. Best to get mortars in then - and the snipers can remain concealed, move on and repeat the process

[bigduke6]

Interesting regarding the GSTP, I was Reading some time ago (excuse the pun) that the TP was quoted as "Trade Pattern" ?

[Peter Laidler]

Mmmmmm......... The problem is that on its own or in a stores register the words GENERAL SERVICE TRADE PATTERN means absolutely nothing. Like HAMMER TP. It wouldn't happen..... We want to know what sort of Trade Pattern. 8 ounce, half pound, ball pein. So what exactly is a General Service trade pattern? It's nothing. I say, based on nothing more than a couple of years in the system and an ounce of the bleedin obvious, that the GS refers to a TIME PIECE. I stand to be corrected.

I have uncovered some more info re the WWW';s too if anyone is really interested. They say that there were 12 but the records only say 11 in service according to the old VAOS list..........

[Micheal Doyne]

I have uncovered some more info re the WWW';s too if anyone is really interested. They say that there were 12 but the records only say 11 in service according to the old VAOS list..........

Don’t leave us like that, go on, please enlighten us on how 11 became a dozen?

[Peter Laidler]

No....., how a dozen became 11. Rioght, the 11 that were in service, with their 1070 VAOS p[rice, as they fell off the VAOS lists were, in order of becoming obsolete..., no spares and no repair, only disposal were
BUREN, 10026 £7:19/-
Eterna, 10027 £11:15/
International 10028, £20:0/
Kurt, 10029 £9:12/ Nope, I've never seen or worked on one either!!!!! What about you Gary?
Jaeger-LeCoutre, 10030 ££12:15/ Another little cracker
Lemania, 10021 £10:15/
Longines, 10032, £13:15/ Magnificent
Omega, 10033, £13:15/ Equally as magnificent
Record, 10034 £11:0 Quite common
Timor 10036, £10:15/
Thommon (under the name Vertex for strategic reasons) 10037 £10:10/ quite common and good

These were classed as WOCS or War Office Controlled Stores (now SSR or Special Stores Register) and if you lost one, you'd better start considering your future and making a will. It was a hanging offence. On active service was a tad easier........ But not a lot

I think that I'll write this down for the person who wrote the article Geoff put up. Might be interesting

[gsimmons]

No, Peter I haven’t worked on or even seen a Kurt before. I’ve worked on the main ones of course.

[Terrylee]

"GENERAL SERVICE TEMPORARY PATTERN"

Ref: A Concise Guide to Military Timepieces 1880 - 1990 By Z.M. Wesoloski

[Peter Laidler]

Yes, I can see where you are coming from. It's like for many years, it was reported that the Sten gun took its name from Shepherd, Turpin and Enfield isn't it? NOT SO. It came from Shepherd Turpin and ENGLAND, as declared by Mr Turpin himself. There are hundreds of other examples of this, especially in the small arms world, such as the Bren being so accurate that it was considered to be the next sniper rifle - or other such horse manure surrounding it's fabled accuracy. Someone publishes something somewhere and it's repeated ..... and repeated and all of a sudden , the myths or mistakes perpetuate themselves and it's fact. Now, the usual Pulsar or CWC's are called Wristwatch, GP (just a modern variation of the older GS I suggest). It's a GP wristwatch. Like a GS pocket watch was called a time piece.

This is only my opinion of course but in Ordnance Store terminology, something would be called a GS LandRover or GS Telescope or a GP ...... MACHINE GUN for want of a better example! My final Answer Jeremy (UK TV show answer.....)

[Micheal Doyne]

No....., how a dozen became 11. Rioght, the 11 that were in service, with their 1070 VAOS p[rice, as they fell off the VAOS lists were, in order of becoming obsolete..., no spares and no repair, only disposal were
BUREN, 10026 £7:19/-
Eterna, 10027 £11:15/
International 10028, £20:0/
Kurt, 10029 £9:12/ Nope, I've never seen or worked on one either!!!!! What about you Gary?
Jaeger-LeCoutre, 10030 ££12:15/ Another little cracker
Lemania, 10021 £10:15/
Longines, 10032, £13:15/ Magnificent
Omega, 10033, £13:15/ Equally as magnificent
Record, 10034 £11:0 Quite common
Timor 10036, £10:15/
Thommon (under the name Vertex for strategic reasons) 10037 £10:10/ quite common and good

These were classed as WOCS or War Office Controlled Stores (now SSR or Special Stores Register) and if you lost one, you'd better start considering your future and making a will. It was a hanging offence. On active service was a tad easier........ But not a lot

I think that I'll write this down for the person who wrote the article Geoff put up. Might be interesting

What about the rather rare Grana WWWs I understood 1,000 of these where supplied?
Attachment 103049

[Peter Laidler]

Dunno.....! maybe because of the small quantity supplied there were so few remaining that it wasn't deemed necessary to declare them obsolescent or obsolete in 1970. Just a guess though.

Looking at Geoffs page again reminded me that the different makers all had a different serial number prefix letter. Y for Omega. I have Y22683 and Y22684.