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WW2 USMC Raider canteen


ArchangelDM
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So its a lovely Sunday In ole Blighty and Im going through my collection and sorting though the piles of field gear and start sorting a for sale pile.

I pull out some canteens and covers and put them aside for the website and think nothing more of it, one is a filthy 2nd Pat and one a 3rd Pat type A.

 

So I pack it all up ready to take picks and dont think nothing more of it.

 

The 2nd Pat has the orange piping and Is heavily worn

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So Im getting ready to start taking pics and Im looking over the canteen cover which Ive had for years,

All is good with it but its had a hard life with blackening to the material and it really has that combat look to it.

 

So I start to fall in love with this cover once again and start to look it over more closely

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I then find this on the Bottom, the name

 

G W SPROUL

 

what a strange name ! I bet there was not many marines named SPROUL Ill have a look at ancestry

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And my mouth dropped to the floor, not only is there 1 George W Sproul in the database but he was a marine Raider of the first marine raider regiment !!!!

 

I couldnt believe what I had refound. I worked out I had had this canteen for over 8 years and it was literally sitting there waiting to be refound

 

Not only had this item belonged to one of Americas first ever special forces it had also been Island hopping with him on the early campaigns of the pacific war and showed the correct wear to boot.

 

Im still smiling and cant stop !

 

- Dean

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Just like Christmas when digging through stacked up footlockers and boxes...... where did this come from?LOL.

This came from Ebay 8-10 years ago and has been sitting in my field gear collection for all that time. I also have the canteen so will look for that next time.

Its amazing how a raiders canteen was just Sitting in a collection in London waiting to be found.

 

- Dean

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That is a great find and good reminder for everyone to really look over new acquisitions.

Thanks Nic

 

New and old, do the research

 

- Dean

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I couldnt believe what I had refound. I worked out I had had this canteen for over 8 years and it was literally sitting there waiting to be refound

 

"Refound"...I like that :D

 

One of the great pleasures of having a pile of old stuff...something(s) popping out that you plum forgot about!

A killer Cover with a stellar history!!

 

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Just like Christmas when digging through stacked up footlockers and boxes......” where did this come from?”LOL.

 

LOL- Ain't that the truth, brother??!! Truly astounding what you forget in this idiocy..uuh, I mean hobby endeavor...

Everything OK with you folks back there?

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"Refound"...I like that :D

 

One of the great pleasures of having a pile of old stuff...something(s) popping out that you plum forgot about!

A killer Cover with a stellar history!!

 

Totally agree Flage and thanks for the kind comments, when I looked him up I literally couldnt believe it.

 

I had totally forgot I had it,

 

- Dean

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Incredible re-discovery, Im jealous!

Thankyou David D

Its quite the rediscovery for sure and has made me appreciate these covers even more now.

 

- Dean

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Well it seems these things sometimes DO talk to us. Just haven't been listen right.

Mikie

Couldnt agree more

 

I for one have started to be much more vigilant with items and now I literally try and research every aspect.

Ancestry is an expensive add on for me to my monthly bills but its so worth it as seen here.

Now this canteen cover has a story retold and its history brougt back to life.

 

This is the absolute best part of collecting these historical artifacts/items, the story or part stories of the men and women behind them being retold and shown again in the light of 2018 !! Its not just a canvas cover then, it becomes something much much more, and not to go into too much detail but you cant live without water and these covers carried the life water for those brave marines to accomplish what they did.

 

Thanks Mikie for the kind comment

 

- Dean

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