Mess kits

[JB101]

This blog may be of interest to some

A Mess Tin Primer, Part II

A blog on military field rations, military food, field cooking, historical recipes, field bread, wartime food, improvised and makeshift cooking.

joyoffieldrations.blogspot.com

 

[Pattree]

CCS / BushcraftUK. A great team.

Gratitude to Mark Ward ( @Sharky ) who dug this up for me. The Primer Part 1 includes an early copper version of the Svea M44 - I think it’s the M1881.

 

[Erbswurst]

So far I see, that's all correct.

 

[Minotaur]

Really interesting reading.

 

[Pattree]

For completeness:

A Mess Tin Primer: Part I

A blog on military field rations, military food, field cooking, historical recipes, field bread, wartime food, improvised and makeshift cooking.

joyoffieldrations.blogspot.com

A Mess Tin Primer, Part III

A blog on military field rations, military food, field cooking, historical recipes, field bread, wartime food, improvised and makeshift cooking.

joyoffieldrations.blogspot.com

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

Shed clearing at my Mums house and found one of my teenage camping mess tins. They were from my Uncle James who was a TA Para in tne same era as Billy Connolly. Spotted they are actually dated 1945!

 

[Pattree]

@Danceswithhelicopters
I could see that was gen straight away. The wire of the handles is much thicker than the currently available ones.
Glad you found them. I’ve got a pair with the (UK) War Department arrow /|\ on them from my own camping youth.

 

[Tengu]

Mine has TH77 on the top.

 

[Minotaur]

I have BB68 on top and PSL on bottom. No arrow.

 

[Erbswurst]

In Germany such equipment was also issued to civil organisations like Police, Red Cross or whatever. That's why you find original German military equipment without the military insignia. Here it often comes in a different colour, funnily post WW2 the Army got olive stuff, civil organisations field grey or Afrika Korps sand tones or navy blue. A few years before that were proper military colours. Cold war preparedness of course.

 

[Pattree]

I wonder if 68 and 77 are manufacture dates like those in the Swedish M44. I have windshields marked 63 and 72.

I don’t know who is making the rectangular aluminium mess tins today but they are still very popular. Scout groups etc. but both the metal and the wire handles look thinner.

I’m very happy with an old M40 (stainless steel) mess kit either with its whole alcohol set up or separately just as my mess.

I recommend the lids to can buy on eBay but they only fit the aluminium M44. I shall adapt one with a hammer.

 

[Erbswurst]

Usually and generally the M numbers are a later given collectors name, it means the year of construction or introduction.

The Swiss army gives the items indeed the names itself, here stands the year without M.

And engraved or printed you find usually the year or even month of production, I think that's regarding all NATO equipment. For German and US army equipment that's for sure the case.

Also older German equipment has it.
I have for example a M34 mess kit that's stamped HRE 42. HRE are the Initials of the maker and town in this case. They continued making aluminium stuff also after WW2, mainly field bottles, mugs and mess kits and delivered it to civil organisations and to the military .