Brass button guard

[Bronzestar]

Hi all I've looked on line I know it's Air Ministry but I'm not sure what the numbers mean. Does anyone know ? Thanks

[GTB]

Could be that the 40 may stand for 1940. I have a brass button stick with identical numerals and I believe I was issued with one when I joined up in 68. At the time we still had brass cap badge & buttons

[leigh kitchen]

I wasn't issued a button stick (1972) but a member of my section was"put on" in 1973 for not using the button stick he had been issued.
During an OC's inspection the Company Commander asked him if he'd used it, he said he hadn't (our badges, titles, buttons were all of anodised aluminium) - "You were issued it, you should be using it".

[mike_vee]

I was issued one when I started training at Woolwich in 1978 . Another piece of kit that had to be displayed , "shiny with no finger prints" , at every room inspection.

.

[GTB]

The webbing attachments were all brass

[leigh kitchen]

Not when I joined, a 37 Pat belt was worn sometimes, minus the rear strap buckles, all brass ware stripped off other than the trim at the end of the belt.

Old foibles could die hard - prior to passing off / out parades at the Depot all cap badges and collar dogs were handed in for "cleaning" by one man detailed to make sure that they were clean and shiny- despite all the badges being of anodised aluminium.
Presumably just a habit of some training NCOs who had joined back when they were "needed, not feeded".

[Padre]

Originally Posted by Bronzestar

Hi all I've looked on line I know it's Air Ministry but I'm not sure what the numbers mean. Does anyone know ? Thanks

It is an Air Ministry contract number, with, as you say, the '40' referring to the year of contract (not necessarily the year of manufacture which may be stamped elsewhere). I'm not sure what the letters at the end stand for but many Air Ministry contracts take the same form.

Of the later NATO numbers each block refers to different things such as category of item, size, country of origin and specific item. The only one I remember is '99' being for UK manufacture.

I wondered for years what the various cut-outs on the button stick referred to until using one recently to clean webbing. The circular holes are for popper studs found on ammunition pouches, the wavy cut-outs for the riveted end tabs on belts and straps.

[grey_green_acorn]

Here is a commercial pattern specifically for 1908 pattern web equipment and a couple of plain early pattern button sticks. I also have one made in brown Bakelite.

Tim

[leigh kitchen]

The circular holes are useful for taking cap badge sliders and lugs.