Mk 2 Carrier water can

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

There were a lot of 2 gallon cans locally produced. I could say for the LP2 carriers, but it may have been for the Vickers guns, I'm not sure, but military of a heavy gauge tinned steel, for water.

I would have thought that the colour depended on the theatre of operation?
A white can is great in Canada in winter, but surely somebody learned something from the white square "aim point" painted on carriers at Dunkirk?.............maybe not.................British roundels?????

A white can on a carrier with Welsh guard stowage might look good now, but in a jungle theatre in 1945 it would not have been a good idea.

There were a lot of 2 Gal cans produced in Australia pre-war also, as Lynn has said, they were the typical method of supplying petrol and oil commercially, and many cars of the 20's and 30's had a special bracket on the running board to carry one.

"Valor" was one large producer of cans, both pre-war and for the war. They made cans for the oil companies with embossed advertising and plain sided.
"Willow" was another producer. Willow was a large manufacturer of tin ware such as garbage cans, tool boxes and garden watering cans, and is still in business today.

WW2 manufactured cans in Australia were to the British pattern with a convex top, unlike the concave design of the Canadian cans. They simply featured a D^D and were not dated. The bottom of the can could feature the makers name (ie Valor, Willow), or with no details. The screw cap was threaded the same thread to accept the horsecock pourer, but the cap was a diecast potmetal.

As for markings, the cans were generally Khaki Green with black stencilling, although ALL types (petrol, oil and water) also appeared in white, with black stencilling. Due to the design of the POW racks on Aust vehicles, the stencilling was often a P, O, or W only, on the narrow side of the can.