Escape and Evasion / Survival aids - Silk maps and Escape Compasses + more!

**Grimebox** · 01-29-2015, 03:41 PM

Another example of the early 'round card' type compass. This one is in excellent condition. It is shown alongside the other examples I have including the collar stud version

**Grimebox** · 01-29-2015, 03:51 PM

I have never been one to buy 'mint' items, however, I think I'm slightly loosing it buying this!! It is a second type acetate escape box in extremely poor condition. They are well known to disintegrate / misshape over time, hence, they are quite rare.
I have shown some images from the excellent book 'Luftwaffe vs. RAF' by Mick Prodger to show what it should have looked like

**Grimebox** · 02-04-2015, 02:07 PM

Bartholomew map P and Q covering Somaliland and Kenya Colony. It is shown with other maps covering Africa

**Grimebox** · 02-24-2015, 12:50 PM

A near mint, rare, early Air Ministry map A.D.MAPS.A.M.No 414/2.A. covering Norway. These maps are 'escape' maps in the true sense as they detail German positions and crossing points.
The map is shown with other early Air Ministry maps and maps covering Scandinavian. It is interesting to the different shades of the silk, this is not just down to age and how they were stored but also the quality of the material used at the time.

**Grimebox** · 03-11-2015, 10:06 PM

An infamous special forces/airborne 'escape vest' designed to be turned into an escape rope or ............ a run of the mill, bog standard, normal issue, just a bit of kit, string vest to keep you warm.
This shouldn't really be on the pages of this thread, however, I have noticed that as the prices have risen over the past couple of years more and more nonsense has appeared on the market, not only in the descriptions of items but the items themselves. Unfortunately a lot of escape and evasion material is shrouded in mystery which opens it up for abuse from unscrupulous traders who create nice little 'stories' to move their stock along, after time and if enough people say it, it becomes the truth! Buyer beware!

As for the vest, it's a nice 1944 dated one which appears to be unissued, I picked it up cheaply - and it is just a string vest (although I'm sure P.o.W's found a variety of uses for them should the need arise!).

**Grimebox** · 03-17-2015, 07:37 PM

Another 'Survey of India' silk map. This one covers Upper Burma and Assam and Lower Burma and Siam. There is also a 'colour' version of this map where the sea is tinted blue

**Grimebox** · 04-22-2015, 06:10 PM

I have been after one of these for a while! This is an Air Ministry aircraft escape axe designed to be used in the confines of aircraft in the event of a crash. These were also on Horsa gliders and used by airborne troops.
The Air Ministry stamp is very faint but visible to the naked eye.

**Grimebox** · 05-20-2015, 12:02 PM

A nice little grouping which belonged to Royal Artillery gunner who served throughout the war. Attached to his I.D. tags is a standard escape compass in its protective blister. I was of the opinion that these were issued in the Far East, however, this clearly isn't the case as looking through the paperwork he served in North Africa and Italy.

**Grimebox** · 05-30-2015, 02:38 PM

Finally a real button compass! A General Service brass uniform button which unscrews to reveal a compass. The Button has an anti clockwise thread and was made by J R GAUNT.
I know the old adage 'buy the item and not the story' which is exactly what I did, however, when it turned up it had (totally unexpectedly) details of the original owner along with a scanned photo and a couple of calling cards. The original owner was Philip Arthur Garratt. He enlisted in 1928 and was a Captain in 212 Coy RASC army transport in 1939. He fought in Africa and Italy and was brought back for D-Day, landing with 1st Corps troops transport, 1st Canadian Army. In 1945 he was promoted to Major.
In my personal experience (having spent years trying to find one of these buttons I could afford!) the GS buttons are scarcer than the Air Force buttons, though they appear to be less desirable.

**Grimebox** · 12-01-2015, 12:14 PM

I haven't updated this thread in a while!

This is a rare RAAF produced silk map covering Mindanao. I purchased this map from the U.S. which is where a lot of them seem to have ended up having been issued to USAAF pilots and aircrew to cover a shortfall in U.S. production of silk maps at the time.

What is noticeable about this map is that it is long and thin, apparently Australian pilots wore them as scarves.