C-2 Aircraft Galley

[Grant S.]

This is one of the more obscure items in the museum's collection. I think it's way cool and I've been wanting to share it with you all for a while. It is a "Kit, Galley (Aircraft) Type C-2" by HELMCO. It is completely portable so it can't be associated with any particular aircraft. Anyone with a 110 volt outlet can use it. I would assume that would include all the heavy bombers. So looking at the first picture, to the left is an open storage area. There is a horizontal outlet with a switch at the bottom, which are just visible in picture 2. The outlet accepts the same kind of prongs as seen on the hot cups. I don't know if there was a specific item that fit there or if it is just a utility slot. The center section contains two heated thermos-like containers. These are not removeable (as far as I can tell) and could be used for soups and the like. To the right of that, and shown in the third picture, is a hotplate (with a grease catcher) and the compartment where the hot cups can be plugged in. There is just one plug, so the cups have to be heated seperately. Each has it's own switch. There are no temperature controls, so no "simmering." It comes with a canvas cover that clips onto various points of the body. The cover is surprisingly in excellent condition. The final two pictures show the labels on the unit and on the hot cup. If your hot cup breaks, just return it post-paid to HELMCO! I really like this thing, unfortunately we don't really have a good context in which to display it. Someday I'm going to plug it in and see what happens. Enjoy!

 

[Grant S.]

picture 2

 

[Grant S.]

picture 3

 

[Grant S.]

Picture 4

 

 

[Grant S.]

Oops. Picture 4

 

 

[Grant S.]

And picture 5

 

[67Rally]

Oh...definitely unusual! I love seeing items like this.

The 110v aspect has my interest piqued. I have never noticed (not that I was looking) any 110 receptacles on any military bomber-type aircraft before. Does that exist?

[ccyooper]

I stumbled into one of these at a garage sale and it was not for sale but I asked the owner about it and he called and said he would like to sell it. I’m not sure of all of what it’s supposed to have but does anyone know what they are worth. The only references I can find are from IMA and their prices are all over the place. 

[dustin]

That galley kit is really neat, the one above is mostly complete but it's only suppose to have one heating cup. For the receptacle in the bin there is a hot plate to plug in and I think the unit also has a pot, and a salt and pepper shaker. 

What items are in the one at the garage sale?

 

The one on IMA looks to had been complete and is your best reference to what belongs. As for price, it appears theirs had sold, so that's one price, for $750. That seems a little steep and someone must had wanted it pretty bad. Perhaps a foundation with a B-17 or like, or a ration collector. I personally would feel comfortable at 2-300 for a complete unit. They made just over 12,000 of them. This is one item where it really all depends on what someone is willing to pay, hard to find but yet not too desirable. If you accumulate the thermoses and jugs then this would be right up that alley. I'd ask the guy what he wants for it first. 

[ccyooper]

Thanks for the reply and comments. He wants $200 for it. Salt pepper shakers, coffee pot. They are the only removable items. There are no plates, pans or separate cups. What’s there appears to have never been used. When purchased by this kids dad he paid $14.87 on as the 1948 receipt was still in it.   It also comes with a complete but used Alladin 1944 dated single burner stove in a 1945 dated cover/container. I told him I’d pick it up tomorrow.  Regards 

[dustin]

Please post pics when you get it!

23 hours ago, ccyooper said:

Thanks for the reply and comments. He wants $200 for it. Salt pepper shakers, coffee pot. They are the only removable items. There are no plates, pans or separate cups. What’s there appears to have never been used. When purchased by this kids dad he paid $14.87 on as the 1948 receipt was still in it.   It also comes with a complete but used Alladin 1944 dated single burner stove in a 1945 dated cover/container. I told him I’d pick it up tomorrow.  Regards 

 

[ccyooper]

This is the kit I picked up. It appears to have everything but plates or pots and pans. Has a salt and pepper shaker that fit in something that appears to be a sugar dispenser. C-2 galley kit. I added the receipt because the original owner bought it for $13.95 in 1948. 

[dustin]

Very nice and very cool, great buy!!

 

I slightly misspoke in my last post. Technically your new unit is complete. The one in the IMA site has had a few things added like the pot.

The cavity or bin part of the cooker was designed to store food. It did not come with any accessory utensils, the C-1 Galley unit did though. As per specifications, it was to have one one-quart hot cup, small grill 5"x 7" (next to the hot cup), and two two-quart heating wells. Designed to feed 12-men. 

 

There isn't a whole lot of info about these galley units, namely because they weren't very popular and not used very much and in flight cooking wasn't all that efficient. They played a role in the ration development for the USAAF and were adopted in 1942, further ration development made them obsolete. 

 

Also to note, the heating cup was used in several kits. It was a component to the C-1 Galley unit and included in the airplane ambulance chest. in the chest, it was used for sterilizing. 

[General Apathy]

On 4/11/2014 at 12:37 AM, Grant S. said:

This is one of the more obscure items in the museum's collection. I think it's way cool and I've been wanting to share it with you all for a while. It is a "Kit, Galley (Aircraft) Type C-2" by HELMCO. It is completely portable so it can't be associated with any particular aircraft. Anyone with a 110 volt outlet can use it. I would assume that would include all the heavy bombers. So looking at the first picture, to the left is an open storage area. There is a horizontal outlet with a switch at the bottom, which are just visible in picture 2. The outlet accepts the same kind of prongs as seen on the hot cups. I don't know if there was a specific item that fit there or if it is just a utility slot. The center section contains two heated thermos-like containers. These are not removeable (as far as I can tell) and could be used for soups and the like. To the right of that, and shown in the third picture, is a hotplate (with a grease catcher) and the compartment where the hot cups can be plugged in. There is just one plug, so the cups have to be heated seperately. Each has it's own switch. There are no temperature controls, so no "simmering." It comes with a canvas cover that clips onto various points of the body. The cover is surprisingly in excellent condition. The final two pictures show the labels on the unit and on the hot cup. If your hot cup breaks, just return it post-paid to HELMCO! I really like this thing, unfortunately we don't really have a good context in which to display it. Someday I'm going to plug it in and see what happens. Enjoy!

 

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Back in the late 1980's there was a UK surplus dealer with at least a 100 brand new unissued examples of this kitchen, he was situated on a closed down wartime airfield, I recall it was Matching Green in Essex. His father had bought the hangers and filled them with mainly US surplus at the wars end. I always bought stuff of him when I visited but never bought one of these. 

 

I was very pleased to see your example as it brought back so many memories. 

 

regards lewis.

 

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