Hello Ian.
Thank you for taking the time to get in touch with me regarding the BAGS, Aerial Gear you found. You have some excellent information from Chris that pretty much cover off where this item comes from and how its ‘Kit’ relates to a number of wireless sets during and after the Second World War.
Since the late 1970’s, I have put together two complete such kits and then moved them on. I did indeed recently own a third new BAGS, but have now also moved it on, not wanting to dive down that particular rabbit hole yet a third time. The components of the kit are quite heavy, and a pair of the masts a bugger to store/display in a small area.
One huge piece of advise for you. As a new item, these BAGS were designed and made from thick, stiff leather for a reason. The main pieces of kit it holds are all cast iron, large and as noted earlier…HEAVY. The BAGS were designed to be stiff in order to evenly distribute this weight for the person lugging it about. I have seen too many of these BAGS over the years fall into the hands of well meaning owners who think the leather has dried out and ‘needs to be fixed’, so out comes the Saddle Soap, Neat’s Foot Oil and any other number of leather softeners and after several hours of hard work they proclaim the newly softened bag’ fixed’. Sadly, in the process they usually notice the markings are now looking a bit faded.
The next issue, and eventually fatal for the BAGS is that if they actually have all the kit that goes in the bag, they stuff it in and secure the straps. As soon as then try picking the BAGS up, it collapses in the middle, transferring all the weight to the two straps and handle. The BAGS starts to pucker open in the middle and gape open and the straps and handles start to stretch. The stiffness of the leather that helped distribute the weight has been lost forever at that point.
So resist fixing the BAGS, Ian. It is as it should be by looks of the photo and deserves to live out its years staying that way.
Thanks again for thinking of me.
Best regards,
David
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