Canadian 19-Set Working Instructions

[David Dunlop]

The attached picture is of the above noted manual issued in Canada for the Wireless Set No. 19 Mk III. It is in the usual wartime 5.5" x 8.5" size format.
Was a similar format manual ever issued in Canada for the Wireless Set No. 19 Mk II? I do not recall ever running across one, or for that matter, any manual that might have been printed in the USA for the Mk II production they were involved in during the war.

The reason I am curious is that I own a Canadian issued, built by Philco USA, 19-Set Mk II and am now wondering what Working Instructions Manual for this particular version I should be looking for, for this set.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

For Canadian and USA sets.

[David Dunlop]

Bruce.

Thanks for posting that! I am definitely going to have to keep an eye open for one. Interesting that the publication code for it contains 'PC'. Probably Philco Corporation, as the Mk III version of the manual has 'RCA' in the code.

There is no production date at all on either the transceiver or PSU of my Mk II, so the best guess I had was late 1942 or sometime in 1943. I see your manual is dated 1 August 1942. Brilliant! Slowly we make progress.

Let the quest begin!


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

My Mk.II is dated 1942 but with no month. It has no Russian markings and is very close to first set made being serial C-127. The pictures in the Mk.II manual show a similar unlingual set. I agree that Russian/English Mk.II sets would date mid 1942 to mid 1943 when it was replaced by the Mk.III set.

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Bruce.

Thanks for posting that! I am definitely going to have to keep an eye open for one. Interesting that the publication code for it contains 'PC'. Probably Philco Corporation, as the Mk III version of the manual has 'RCA' in the code.

There is no production date at all on either the transceiver or PSU of my Mk II, so the best guess I had was late 1942 or sometime in 1943. I see your manual is dated 1 August 1942. Brilliant! Slowly we make progress.

Let the quest begin!


David

[Bruce MacMillan]

here are a couple I have. The MK II is provisional. I wonder if this is the first release.

The MK I & MK II has no date but must be early.

[David Dunlop]

Great time line developing here for these manuals. Be curious to see if by the time Bruce Parker's edition hit the presses, what, if any, references were made in it to the Mk I Set. Would not surprise me if the Mk I was rapidly being withdrawn from service. No mention at all of the Mk I by the time the RCA Mk III Canadian manuals came out.

Based on Bruce MacMillan's manuals, it would appear Philco (P.C.) may have been the prime, initial US maker of the 19-Set Mk II and was responsible for all subsequent publication of the Working Instructions. I think RCA ended up in that position this side of the border, regardless of who actually made the Mk III sets.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

From what I recall Candians never built Mk.I sets, just Mk.II and Mk.III. American production was only Mk.II.

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Great time line developing here for these manuals. Be curious to see if by the time Bruce Parker's edition hit the presses, what, if any, references were made in it to the Mk I Set. Would not surprise me if the Mk I was rapidly being withdrawn from service. No mention at all of the Mk I by the time the RCA Mk III Canadian manuals came out.

Based on Bruce MacMillan's manuals, it would appear Philco (P.C.) may have been the prime, initial US maker of the 19-Set Mk II and was responsible for all subsequent publication of the Working Instructions. I think RCA ended up in that position this side of the border, regardless of who actually made the Mk III sets.


David

[David Dunlop]

I was pretty sure Canada never got into production of the Mk I, but we must have had some Mk I's in service, imported from England, for a while since Bruce MacMillan's early two part manual is a combined edition for the Mk I and Mk II. If, by the time your Working Instructions Manual was published, it makes no reference to the Mk I, Canada must have dumped whatever stocks of Mk I's it had on hand very quickly, in order to upgrade to the Mk II then being produced here. Does your Mk II manual give any reference at all to the Mk I, or was it completely ignored?

I cannot recall ever seeing a photo of the Mk I but I think I have a manual tucked away somewhere for a 19-Set that has a line drawing of the front of one in it. Must be a bit of a rare bird these days.

Cheers, BP!

David

[Bruce MacMillan]

Canada never made the MK I sets. I believe only Pye in UK did. Production was started in 1941 but was replaced by the MK II in 1942. It appears to have had a narrow window of service. This would date the manual from mid to late 1942.

The manual was probably a cross over between the two sets. This might have allowed the MK I to be used for training.

The line drawing of the 19 set mounted in a Matilda tank is of a MK I set. WftW Vol. 2 has line drawings of all 3 MKs.

[Chris Suslowicz]

I have a reasonable selection of manuals, from the (undated) Mk.I - very interesting because it has "tabletop" displays of various configurations with the parts lists, a couple of variations of the Mk.II manual (for sets made in the US and Canada), and the Canadian Mk.III.

The British "Working Instructions Part 1" is a much thinner and less useful pamphlet, and is basically intended for the operator. (The US/Canadian ones are more like the Signal Training Volume III pamphlets for earlier equipment, or the Technical Description and First Echelon Servicing EMERs which replaced them.)

The amount of documentation was relentlessly slimmed down during WW2, and only really issued to the people who actually needed it, mainly to reduce waste of scarce resources.

As an example, Signal Training (All Arms) went from a thick book (updated about every 4 years) in 1938 (last issue) to a series of pamphlets and a binder, which could be updated as sections changed, and selected to suit the owner's role in 1942. (It was also a lot less to have to carry around - important for the Infantry.)

Chris

[David Dunlop]

I just purchased this Philco Mk II Manual dated 1st July 1942 (Ref.No. PC 90772C-195). 91 pages and an interesting read. No mention at all of the Mk I 19-Set but it does provide a lot of information on the interchangeability of all the components of the set between the British, Canadian and American made Mk II's for field maintenance purposes. Also a couple of nice photos of the kit for the US Medium Tank M4 and the British Infantry Tank Mk III*** (whatever that might be). Tucked inside the manual was a three page printed list of parts for the Set and Standard Kit No. 19 Mk II from the Zenith Radio Corporation in Chicago.

David

[Johnny Canuck]

Some more.

Left: WS19 MK.I, II & III North America ZA. 21575 (British??), 42 pages.
Right: WS19 MK.I, II & III Working Instructions, ZA. 21575, December 1949, War Office Whitehall, 40 pages.


Left: WS19 Mk.II Working Instructions, PC 90772C-195 July 1, 1942, Ottawa Canada, 93 pages+-.
Right: Same as above, but August 1, 1942, 116 pages+- (has photos and fold outs that the July one is missing)


Left: WS19 Mk.III Working Instructions, RCA 113923-1, Ottawa Canada, 135 pages+-.
Right: Same as above, 135 pages+-, smaller format.


Geoff