Article about: Hello Everyone, A friend of mine is offering me this compass, and I could use some advice from some of the more knowledgable members. Is this a war time compass, or post war piece for scouts
Hello Everyone,
A friend of mine is offering me this compass, and I could use some advice from some of the more knowledgable members. Is this a war time compass, or post war piece for scouts. The Body appears to be made from aluminum. the back appears to be unmarked. As always I thank you in advance for your time and help.
Please note the wrist compasses shown here including mine below are all non-issue private purchase ones you could buy at the PX. These were primarily wrist watch bands with a compass added. Issue compasses were larger liquid filled wrist models like the German Luftwaffe pilot compasses.
Great pictures Nick, those are really nice examples. Thanks for positing them. Since Officers purchased most of their equipment, it would be safe to assume that there is a wide variety of these, or did the military dictate a few acceptable types from which an officer could choose?
I think the build was most likely Japanese although most of these compasses have no markings on the reverse. Yours seems to have a sought of maker mark on the knob. Im also interested in the time period for this piece. 40s? 50?
The Military PXs in barracks and large ships were set up like little restaurants with a merchandise counter, where soldiers took turns playing shopkeeper. Canned foods, soft drinks, snacks, sweets, post cards, tooth brushes, towels with unit logos, soap, etc. were sold and it became like a lounge where soldiers relaxed. In the army, alcohol was served only on certain days of the week or not at all, while the navy was more generous in this regard. New recruits were prohibited from using the PX for their first half year of training.
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