Can Anyone ID this kit please?

[CarlLeyland]

Hi,

Just found this as I pack to move home....no idea what its for. My great grand father drove the horses in a gun team in WW1 so I assume it could be related to that or some other bit of random kit that one of my relatives forgot to hand in after their service....

Not war game related but there is a lot of knowledgeable types on here.

http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx181/fosters11/kit1_zpsechjqbnk.jpg

http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx181/fosters11/kit2_zps134xnp1t.jpg

Lots of tweezers and fine nails and a razor....

[Steve F]

I'm afraid that I can't help with identification, but here is a Photobucket tip:

If you click in the box marked "IMG", Photobucket will copy the Image code.  If you paste that into a post, the picture itself will appear in the post, without any need for anyone to click a link to see it.  Hope that's useful.

[CarlLeyland]

Thanks Steve thats a top tip...I am of course an idiot.

[CarlLeyland]

[fred]

That looks very much like a scientific dissecting kit - tends to be used in biological sciences. The different tools depend on what experiments you would use it for, but scalpels, forceps, and mounted needles are all common. They often collect and loose tools after their primary purpose days end.

I don't think it's military. Could even be from school days.

[fred]

A search for dissecting kit roll gives you a lot of similar looking ones.

[CarlLeyland]

Ugh cheers guys....you probably got it. I thought it was military with the khaki colour and GGR stamp. Strange thing for my family to hold onto....nary a 6 yard swimming certificate between the lot of them.

[fred]

they seem to be quite often personalised and held on to by people / families

[rebelyell2006]

Ugh cheers guys....you probably got it. I thought it was military with the khaki colour and GGR stamp. Strange thing for my family to hold onto....nary a 6 yard swimming certificate between the lot of them.

It probably was military at some point.  One of the people on my museum's board did field archaeology, and he carried his tools in a gas mask carrier.

[CarlLeyland]

It is strange what people keep! No history of education or an interest in dissection amongst my ancestors sadly but lots of military service which is why I would never have guessed what this kit was. Knowing what it was used for previously means I won't be using the tools for modelling either.

[rebelyell2006]

It could be a medical tool/surgical instrument roll.  Can it roll up?

[CarlLeyland]

Yes it was rolled up when I found it....as a child I played with webbing and kit from WW1....pretty worthless then but I wish I had it now! As I remember that was sand coloured.

[rebelyell2006]

I'd advise researching medical tool or surgical instrument rolls for Allied forces.  I would also recommend looking into post-war, World War II, and possibly even Cold War; I would not limit research to World War I, as I would associate that greenish hue of the canvas with World War II.  Could "G.G.R." be the initials of a former owner?  Do your ancestors have any family names starting with "R."?  The two "G" letters do not match, so they are not stencils.  I would suspect that they were handwritten by a person who used the artifact.

[tin shed gamer]

I'm going to throw a spanner in the works. This isn't an issued kit, nor are the items in the roll.Infact I'm pretty sure that the roll and items in it didn't start out life together.
In short this is a home made kit.
As already noted the lettering is most likely someone's initials as here hand written not printed.
I'll list a few observations.
The roll has distinct areas of wear which don't appear to relate to the handle lengths of the items in the roll even allowing for items being replaced in different locations.
The flap at the top is designed to cover the equipment  stored in the roll so when it's stowed away the kit doesn't fall out. only the first item is long enough to fit under the flap,so it's unlikely that there related as they counter the function of the pouch,as the can slip out the roll .A similar observation can made for the pins in addition pushing pins through canvas is a pig and blunts them,pretty quickly .
As for items designed for surgical use in the 20 century being made with wooden handles unlikely .As for being a dissection kit there's nothing visible in the picture to dissect with.
The four scribes stick out four a couple of reasons ,one of them is either a replacement or an addition to the set.The two older varnished ones in the middle (straight ,and dog leg) clearly have similar wear patterns which suggests that they were used along an edged surface and as the pattern of is greater on the straight it's likely that what ever they were both used on was recessed.with either a raised machined edge or a sharp edge.So it's unlikely to achive such a ware pattern in poking around in flesh.
Another give away for the repurposing of the pouch is the rust staining it the items are as you found them and it was rolled up then there's no correlation between the kit and the staining and it very unlikely that the staining is from items out side the roll touching it as the rust would have to travel through the items in side.other than the third item from the right which feels out of place. ( and the second on the left which I know I know but I just can't place it at the moment I know I've rebuilt somethings similar in the last eighteen months but I just can't place it.still bugging me that's why I didn't reply sooner.)
It all looks like standard 50's and 60's school art supplies .So I think your instincts to want to re use them to sculpt with is pretty spot on.Infact my first thought was sculpting kit ,then l suspect like most I miss read your comment on playing with ww1 kit and second guessed myself and wondered if it was weapon related.But since you appear to collect vintage air weapons then you'd be. More then familiar with such weapon cleaning kits ,as my thought were leaning initially to this(air weapons)
Just because items are stored together doesn't mean their context is related to their function.Which means I don't think your going to get a better idea until you look at your family tree and research trades education and hobbies.(and Sod's law says it will be something picked up at a yard sale because it looked interesting)
Because the short of it is what ever its intended purpose it's a personalised kit not a pre issued or bought kit.
Or even worse just one of those pottering jobs we all do tidying the shed and a bunch of loose bits that might come in handy have been stored in an old spanner roll just in case.

[CarlLeyland]

Pretty damned good response Tin Shed. You could be right on all of it-I knew the kit had no connection to gun cleaning as I still have my old kit and certainly at least one kit from one of my grandfathers. Your examination of the kit is streets ahead of what I had noticed...forensic almost and very impressive.

It is also reassuring that you dont think there is a connection to dissecting anything because after a good sterilising I may be tempted to use some of the bits to push greenstuff around with. The nails and cover can head for the bin as they have no history behind them.

Thanks for the opinions Chaps it has been entertaining.