I did some careful cleaning away of the NATO Green paint on the front of my 52-Set Tool Box the other day and was delighted to find the original factory stencils still readable on top of the OD Green wartime paint.
The stencil was in 1/2 inch high by 3/8 inch wide Gothic lettering. The bottom of the first line is 2 inches below the lip of the box and centered between the hinges. This was followed by a blank line.
The second line of text is centered exactly between the inner faces of the two latch levers, and the last line centers directly beneath the second line. The entire stencil reads as follows:
ZA/CAN 4727
BOXES, TOOL, NO 1, WS
CDN NO 52
All of this was over-painted, as mentioned with NATO Green at some point and then the following, very simplified stencil done in ¾ inch high by ½ inch wide Gothic lettering:
Z1 ZA/CAN 4727
This line was centered on the lower rivet below the right hand latch assembly.
And finally:
BOXES,
This line was centered 1 and 3/8 inches above the bottom of the box.
Quite an exciting find, I thought. To be sure nothing was missing, I decided to check the photograph of the 52-Set Equipment in the manual, since all three wooden boxes/case are shown in it and although small, the stencils are quite readable.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered these markings read as follows:
CMC 113-547
ZA/C 00101
WIRELESS SET
CANADIAN NO. 52,
BOX, TOOLS
I then checked the scale line drawings and the descriptions in the parts listings in the back of the manual. All verified this information, and the manual was dated 9 May 1944.
I then remembered the Master Parts List publication for the 52-Set was dated 15 February 1945, so decided to take a look at what it had to show and tell. The same scale line drawings showed up, but the description of the item read as follows:
BOXES, Tool, No. 1 WS Cdn No 52
And the ZA Number below the drawing had changed from ZA/C 00101 to ZA/CAN 4727.
Finding production information, with thanks to CD Howe and the closing of Marconi, is a major challenge. Little Military documentation has surfaced to date that makes sense of the numbers on the military books and the serial numbers on surviving 52-Set components. Even if serial numbers were a continuation of No. 9 Set production, they seem rather high. The colour of the sets seems to have started out as a continuation of the OD Green from the No. 9 Sets and then shifted to No. 2 Brown, only to return to OD Green in later production.
The markings variation I have run across with this tool box seems to support that late production was OD Green. Somewhere between assembly and printing of the manual on 8 May 1944 and the publication of the Master Parts List 15 February 1945, the ID of this tool box has definitely changed. So early and late versions do exist. Be nice to find more original examples and see what base colours they have. I am now curious what markings any surviving No. 2 Brown tool boxes may have on them.
David
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