While currently on a bit of a break from component hunting for the 52-Set, I have been once again reading over the manual, and other documentation on this set. This has been a very interesting read, both the information that is available, and the information that is not.
The primary manual for this wireless is the WORKING INSTRUCTIONS WIRELESS SETS, CANADIAN NO. 52 VEHICLE AND GROUND STATIONS, dated 8th May, 1944. The first, notable impression one gets from this manual is that it is almost twice as thick as the one published for the Canadian Wireless Set No. 19 Mk III (a very well written manual in its own right). This first impression, combined with the current, perceived reputation that the 52-Set was difficult to work with, puts one in high alert mode as far as expectations for the read are concerned. This concern relaxes fairly quickly, however, once the read begins.
The style of writing is very similar to the Canadian 19-Set publication. The information is well laid out in a very logical flow and one cannot help but get a sense that the wartime wireless operators were a very well trained group of individuals. Not just in how to operate a wireless set, but in enough electronics background to understand the basics of what is going on inside the set, and during use, for trouble shooting and basic maintenance in the field. Even a nice sprinkle of humour on occasion, both written and illustrated.
What is really interesting about this 52-Set manual is how comprehensive and self contained it is with regards to the information it provided the operator. In addition to the expected step by step instructions on assembly, operation and basic field servicing and maintenance of the 52-Set and its components, relevant extracts from the manuals for the Charging Sets 300 Watt Mk I Canadian, Wireless Remote Control Unit No.1 (Canadian), Switchboard, Charging No. C5 and Antennae, Vertical, 34’ Steel Mk I Complete Kit are also provided. This is a valuable document for any 52-Set Wireless Operator. It has earned its metal stowage box on the top left of the Carrier No. 4 for the 52-Set. That brings us to the other interesting information about the 52-Set. The documentation that does not exist, or has yet to be found.
74 years on from the introduction of the 52-Set, a key piece of missing documentation to those of us now attempting to restore one of these sets today, is the detailed repair and rebuild information typically found in the Second to Fourth Echelon Work Instructions published by the military. An Issue 1 Canadian Army EME Manual, dated February, 1945, does exist for this document, but it is only 84 pages long, and apart from a dozen or so pages dealing with a general inspection and alignment procedures for the set, the bulk of this document deals with building and specifications for all the coils and chokes used throughout the Wireless Set No. 52. Unlike the 300 plus pages of the similar document for the 19-Set Mk III, nothing at all on repair and rebuild of any of the components for the 52-Set. Odd, considering this wireless set served into the early 1960’s in Canada. Maybe there were enough spare components in stores that broken sets were simply replaced and the duff ones tossed.
Chatting recently with Reg Hodgson in Edmonton, I learned he has been searching for a number of years for the installation instructions for the 52-Set in the White M3 Scout Car, with no luck. That initially struck me as odd. Reg has been well connected in the military vehicle sector for decades. He should have no trouble flushing such an installation manual out of the woodwork, original or copy. Then I remembered the introductory comments in the 52-Set Manual regarding interchangability of the 52-Set. Since it was a direct derivative of the Wireless Set Canadian No. 9 Mk I, its Carrier and mounting arrangement is identical to the earlier set, with one minor exception. The metal electrical connection conduit box running along the upper back portion of the Carrier No. 4 of the 52-Set adds 11/16th of an inch to the depth of the set. As long as there is sufficient clearance at the back of a pre-existing No. 9 Set installation, the Wireless Set No. 9 Mk I and its Carrier are simply removed and the 52-Set and Carrier No. 4 installed in it’s place. So on the face of it, it appears no wartime installation instructions for the 52-Set were needed, or published. That would mean today, if one wants to install a 52-Set in a particular wartime vehicle, one needs to find the installation information for the Wireless Set Canadian No. 9 Mk I, for the vehicle in question, and substitute the 52-Set in the installation. There is an interesting exception to this, however, the C15TA Armoured Truck.
A document exists, dated 8 April 1945, which combines information on how to modify the C15TA to fit inside the Hamilcar X (the twin engine version of the earlier heavy lift glider) and how to install a WS 19HP and WS 52 (CDN) combination setup in the C15TA. I call this a document as referring to it as an Installation Instruction Manual would be a huge stretch. If you would like to review a copy of this document, you can join the Wireless-Set-No19 Group in the UK and download a copy from their archive (Document # 2070). What you will find is what one might almost expect a publisher would get to polish up for printing and then some. It consists of some pages of rough, typewritten text, photographs of a sample C15TA vehicle installation for the two sets, with parts identification overlays for where everything is to be located and machinists drawings of all the necessary metal racks and brackets needed to complete the wireless installations for the two sets. The vehicle in the photographs must have been in Canada somewhere (or perhaps England) for documentation purposes. But clearly this vehicle installation was intended as a task to be done in the field somewhere, building everything needed from supplies at hand. No fancy kits from Canada required. Probably a great example of how the rapidly changing dynamics of the war post D-Day meant waiting for things to be produced at home just wasn’t going to work anymore.
My apologies for the length of this post, but as I said at the beginning, these 52-Set documents make for an interesting read, I thought was worth sharing.
David
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