I don't know if this qualifies as an out door activity, but Tammy took me along with her today "Antiquing". I found a couple things, one I will talk about later, a USDA yearbook, with all kinds of stories about forestry. Year? 1898 pretty cool.
The other thing is a fishing kit. I was wondering if any of you old military guys have ever seen one. I believe it is WW2 era. I myself have never seen one.
I left the picture big so you can make out the lettering on the bag.
Link to picture (https://forestryforum.com/images/YaBBImages/userpics/fishingkit.jpg)
Our rubber rafts, life rafts, and life boats use to have something similar in the survial pack on them. Is there a year and date, or a ship's or aircraft's name on the container by chance?
no year or date, but theinstuctions talk about new guinea, and the pacific, and sea snakes, and returning kit to head quarters when finished with it. The diagrams look like WW2 vintage. It looks to me like a survival kit to. It even includes a frog spear, and the instructions talk about whether certain birds and other animals are fit to eat.
The canvas bag states this was distributed by the red cross. By the way I gave 20 bucks for this, do you think it was worth it? It appears to be unused, as parts still have a band on them.
I was going to say that it looks like an "ocean going" kit. The Red Cross distribution is a little puzzling and may add more value to it, especially if of early WWII vintage in the Pacific right after Pearl Harbor's time and Batann.
I'd say it's worth $20.00 and a bit more to the right buyer or collecter of WWII vintage items.
Is there any numbering at all on it, a manufacturer's contract number maybe? If none, it may even be pre-WWII. Maybe send a photo and letter to the Red Cross for some "tracking information".
A person who might know is Lawrence Stillwell over at Baldwin, Michigan. He can be contacted through the U.S. Forest Service Ranger District there at the Baldwin-White Cloud Ranger Station. He's quite a collector of military items.
He's also at most of the gun shows in the area.
Hey Jeff - I know this was 10 years ago, but did you ever come up with anymore information on this kit - I came to own one recently? - thx
What sort of information are you looking for? Other than I re-found this one just a couple weeks ago after not seeing it for the last 10 years. The sad part is, a mouse had been well aware of where it was. :D
Mine does have some instructions in it.
Hello Jeff,
what you have is a recreation fishing kit you can see them if you google wwii fishing kits.
The original 12 pocket (there was also a 7 pocket version) was issued in a sealed tin can, but soldiers and sailors were opening the cans so they could fish. The idea was brought up and the 4 pocket like the one you have were first made by and issued through the red cross, however the orders become so great that the army took over the project. I am attaching pdf scans of the instructions from my 12 pocket kit. I will get some pictures of my 12 pocket kit and tin so I can attach them later.