WW2 Military Office Equipment

[David Dunlop]

Thought it might be interesting to find out exactly what kind of this equipment is known to be out there. It may even turn out some of this equipment would have been used, not just at Regimental or Army HQ levels but in a number of Command and Signals vehicles in the field.

What got me thinking about it is the subject of the two attached photos. My Dad enlisted in Winnipeg with the QOCH of C in 1939 as a Rifleman and went to England with the HQ Company Advance Party. Shortly after arrival in England, one of the clerks at Regimental HQ was returned to Canada with a ruptured appendix and because Dad had been known to have been taking accounting courses at school prior to enlistment, he was 'volunteered' to replace this missing clerk. Finished the war as a Staff Sgt.

The attached was his office stapler, which be brought home after the war. With the exception of the staple remover, it is all original. The original remover was a matt black finish and it broke many years ago. I was lucky enough to find an identical commercial replacement in nickel finish. It is a Model B8 Bostitch Stapler, with a black bakelite base, and still works.

I know Remington and Underwood made typewriters for the military, typically in all black finish, but I have no idea what models they might have been. Not at all sure what else in the way of office equipment may have been adapted to the Army, Navy and Air Forces during the war. So, at the risk of creating a whole new sub collection of military equipment to start looking out for at swap meets and flea markets, what else is known to be out there?


David